A recent study published in PLOS Medicine has identified sets of metabolites in blood and urine that can accurately reflect the amount of energy a person consumes from ultra-processed foods (UPFs). UPFs make up more than half of the calories in the average American diet, but their impact on human health has been uncertain due to the difficulty in accurately tracking their consumption.
Researchers analyzed blood and urine samples from 718 older adults, along with detailed dietary recalls, to create poly-metabolite scores that are linked to UPF intake. These scores, derived from blood and urine metabolites, were found to be predictive of UPF intake based on self-reported dietary data. The study also validated these scores in a controlled feeding study, where they successfully differentiated between high-UPF and no-UPF diets.
The authors suggest that these poly-metabolite scores could serve as objective measures of UPF intake in large population studies, reducing the reliance on self-reported dietary data. They also emphasize the need to evaluate and improve these scores in diverse populations with varying diets and levels of UPF intake.
The study concludes that the identified poly-metabolite scores offer a novel approach to understanding the role of UPFs in human health. By providing insight into the impact of UPFs on our bodies, these scores could help guide future research and public health initiatives.
For more information, you can refer to the study published in PLOS Medicine titled “Identification and validation of poly-metabolite scores for diets high in ultra-processed food: An observational study and post-hoc randomized controlled crossover-feeding trial” by Abar L et al., available at DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004560.
This groundbreaking research was provided by the Public Library of Science. For further details, you can visit their website at http://www.plos.org/.
