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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Nov 1;16(21):3767.
doi: 10.3390/nu16213767.

Ultra-Processed Food Intake and Risk of Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Ali Pourmotabbed  1 , Farhang Hameed Awlqadr  2 , Sanaz Mehrabani  3 , Atefeh Babaei  1 , Alexei Wong  4 , Seyed Mojtaba Ghoreishy  5   6 , Sepide Talebi  7   8 , Mohammad Ali Hojjati Kermani  9 , Faramarz Jalili  10 , Sajjad Moradi  11 , Reza Bagheri  12 , Fred Dutheil  13
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Ultra-Processed Food Intake and Risk of Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Ali Pourmotabbed et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this investigation was to compile existing observational research and quantify the potential association between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and the risk of insomnia using meta-analysis.

Setting: We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science databases with no restrictions until 29 June 2024. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were aggregated using a random-effects model, while the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Egger's regression asymmetry test assessed study quality and publication bias, respectively.

Results: Analysis of data from seven studies showed a significant positive association between higher intake of UPFs and an increased risk of insomnia (OR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.95; I2 = 62.3%; p = 0.014). Subgroup analysis indicated this positive relationship was particularly strong under the NOVA food classification (OR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.40; I2 = 78.5%; p = 0.009; n = 3) and with snack intake (OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.71; I2 = 0.0%; p < 0.001; n = 2), compared to adherence to Western dietary patterns. Moreover, subgroup analysis based on age group showed that higher UPF intake was significantly associated with increased risk of insomnia among adolescents (OR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.99; I2 = 57.4%; p < 0.001) but not in adults.

Conclusions: Our findings underscore a significant association between higher consumption of UPFs and increased risk of insomnia, particularly among adolescents. Further research is necessary to explore the intricacies of this association and to ensure the generalizability of these results.

Keywords: insomnia; meta-analysis; sleep; ultra-processed foods.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the process of the study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plots demonstrating OR and 95% CI of pooled results from the random-effects models to evaluate the relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and risk of insomnia [24,25,26,27,28,31,32].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plots showing sensitivity analysis results of the relationship between ultra-processed food intake and the risk of insomnia [24,25,26,27,28,31,32].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Funnel plot for evaluation of publication bias. Abbreviations: OR, Odds ratio.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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