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Review
. 2023 Jun 28;129(12):2191-2194.
doi: 10.1017/S0007114522002793. Epub 2022 Dec 14.

Ultra-processed foods in public health nutrition: the unanswered questions

Michael J Gibney  1
Affiliations
Review

Ultra-processed foods in public health nutrition: the unanswered questions

Michael J Gibney. Br J Nutr. .

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the study of the degree of food processing and both health and nutritional outcomes. To that end, several definitions of the degree of processing have been proposed. However, when each of these is used on a common database of nutritional, clinical and anthropometric variables, the observed effect of high intakes of highly processed food, varies considerably.. Moreover, assigning a given food by nutritional experts, to its appropriate level of processing, has been shown to be variable. Thus, the subjective definitions of the degree of food processing and the coding of foods according to these classifications is prone to error is prone to error. Another issue that need resolution is the relative importance of the degree of food processing and the formulation of a processed food. Although correlational studies linking processed food and obesity abound, there is a need for more investigative studies.

Keywords: Food texture; Processed food definitions; Subjectivity of definitions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author receives an honorarium as chair of the International Breakfast Research Initiative sponsored by Cereal Partners Worldwide and as chair of a European research consortium on confectionery portion sizes sponsored by CAOBISCO. The author has acted as a paid and non-paid consultant to leading companies with an interest in food.

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