Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Jan 7;17(1):3.
doi: 10.1186/s13148-024-01782-z.

A meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies of ultra-processed food consumption with DNA methylation in European children

Joana Llauradó-Pont #  1 , Nikos Stratakis #  1 , Giovanni Fiorito  2 , Evangelos Handakas  3 , Alexander Neumann  4 , Henrique Barros  5 , Anne Lise Brantsæter  6 , Kiara Chang  7 , Leda Chatzi  8 , Janine F Felix  9   10 , Regina Grazuleviciene  11 , Vincent W V Jaddoe  9   10 , Marianna Karachaliou  1 , Marion Lecorguillé  12 , Carla Lopes  5 , Christopher Millett  7   13 , Rosemary R C McEachan  14 , Eleni Papadopoulou  15 , Remy Slama  16 , Eszter P Vamos  7 , Paolo Vineis  3 , Martine Vrijheid  1   17   18 , John Wright  14 , Trudy Voortman  19 , Mariona Bustamante  1   17   18 , Oliver Robinson #  3 , Camille Lassale #  20   21   22
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies of ultra-processed food consumption with DNA methylation in European children

Joana Llauradó-Pont et al. Clin Epigenetics. .

Abstract

Background/objective: There is limited knowledge on how diet affects the epigenome of children. Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is emerging as an important factor impacting health, but mechanisms need to be uncovered. We therefore aimed to assess the association between UPF consumption and DNA methylation in children.

Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) from a total of 3152 children aged 5-11 years from four European studies (HELIX, Generation XXI, ALSPAC, and Generation R). UPF consumption was defined applying the Nova food classification system (group 4), and DNA methylation was measured in blood with Illumina Infinium Methylation arrays. Associations were estimated within each cohort using robust linear regression models, adjusting for relevant covariates, followed by a meta-analysis of the resulting EWAS estimates.

Results: Although no CpG was significant at FDR level, we found suggestive associations (p-value < 10-5) between UPF consumption and methylation at seven CpG sites. Three of them, cg00339913 (PHYHIP), cg03041696 (intergenic), and cg03999434 (intergenic), were negatively associated, whereas the other four, cg14665028 (NHEJ1), cg18968409 (intergenic), cg24730307 (intergenic), and cg09709951 (ATF7), were positively associated with UPF intake. These CpGs have been previously associated with health outcomes such as carcinomas, and the related genes are mainly involved in pathways related to thyroid hormones and liver function.

Conclusion: We only found suggestive changes in methylation at 7 CpGs associated with UPF intake in a large EWAS among children: although this shows a potential impact of UPF intake on DNAm, this might not be a key mechanism underlying the health effects of UPFs in children. There is a need for more detailed dietary assessment in children studies and of intervention studies to assess potential epigenetic changes linked to a reduction in UPF in the diet.

Keywords: Children; DNA methylation; Epigenome-wide association study (EWAS); Nutrition; Ultra-processed food (UPF).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Detailed information about the ethical approvals and the consent procedures for each cohort study can be found in the supplemental materials S1 accompanying this manuscript. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of meta-EWAS
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, Moubarac J-C, Louzada ML, Rauber F, et al. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutr. 2019;22:936–41. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Teo PS, Lim AJY, Goh AT, Janani R, Choy JYM, McCrickerd K, et al. Texture-based differences in eating rate influence energy intake for minimally processed and ultra-processed meals. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;116:244–54. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Touvier M, DaCostaLouzada ML, Mozaffarian D, Baker P, Juul F, Srour B. Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic health: public health policies to reduce consumption cannot wait. BMJ. 2023. 10.1136/bmj-2023-075294. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Onita BM, Azeredo CM, Jaime PC, Levy RB, Rauber F. Eating context and its association with ultra-processed food consumption by British children. Appetite. 2020;2021(157): 105007. - PubMed
    1. Neri D, Martinez-Steele E, Monteiro CA, Levy RB. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and its association with added sugar content in the diets of US children, NHANES 2009–2014. Pediatr Obes. 2019;14:1–11. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources