The Influence of Ultra-Processed Foods on Inflammation and Metabolic Health in Pediatric Obesity: A Systematic Review with a Narrative Synthesis
Porri D, Wasniewska M, Li Pomi A, La Rosa E, Luppino G, Lanzafame A, Lugarà C, Coco R, Franchina F, Abbate T, Fazio C, La Malfa V, Morabito LA, Pepe G, Valenzise M, Messina MF, Corica D, Aversa T
Nutrients · 2 citas
Cómo se estudió
- Diseño
- Revisión sistemática (indexado por PubMed)
- Estudiado en
- Personas
- Resultado principal
- Marcadores de salud y funcionamiento
- Consumo medido con
- No se indica
Quién lo pagó
- Financiación
- Financiación independiente
- Gobierno
- European Commission
- Gobierno
- European Union's Horizon Europe Research
- Gobierno
- European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation program
- Subvenciones
- European Commission (101080465)
Según 3 financiadores declarados y la declaración de financiación del texto completo.
Publicación
- Publicado
- 2026-04-09 · Nutrients · vol. 18 · número 8 · pág. 1186
- Editorial
- Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
- Citado
- 3 citas · más que el 97% de estudios similares · 7.5× el promedio de su campo
- Impacto
- Entre el 10 % más citado de su campo
- Referencias
- 37 trabajos
- Acceso
- Acceso abierto (revista) · CC-BY
- Áreas de investigación
- Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Nutritional Studies and Diet · Diet, Metabolism, and Disease
- Palabras clave
- ultra-processed foods, childhood obesity, low-grade inflammation, inflammatory markers, metabolic health, insulin resistance, lipid profile, glucose metabolism, NOVA classification, dietary inflammatory potential, pro-inflammatory diet, children and adolescents
- MeSH
- humans, insulin resistance, inflammation, blood glucose, lipids, c-reactive protein, inflammation mediators, cytokines, diet, diet surveys, eating, child, female, male, fast foods, pediatric obesity, biomarkers, food, processed
18 autores
- Debora Porri🇮🇹University of Messina
- Malgorzata Gabriela Wasniewska🇮🇹 · autor de correspondenciaUniversity of Messina
- Alessandra Li Pomi🇮🇹University of Messina
- Elisa La Rosa🇮🇹Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico "G. Martino"
- Giovanni Luppino🇮🇹University of Messina
- Aurora Lanzafame🇮🇹University of Messina
- Cecilia Lugarà🇮🇹University of Messina
- Roberto Coco🇮🇹University of Messina
- Francesca Franchina🇮🇹University of Messina
- Tiziana Abbate🇮🇹University of Messina
- Carla Fazio🇮🇹University of Messina
- Valentina La Malfa🇮🇹University of Messina
- Letteria Anna Morabito🇮🇹University of Messina
- Giorgia Pepe🇮🇹University of Messina
- Mariella Valenzise🇮🇹University of Messina
- Maria Francesca Messina🇮🇹University of Messina
- Domenico Corica🇮🇹University of Messina
- Tommaso Aversa🇮🇹University of Messina
Resumen
El texto original del estudio, en el idioma en que se publicó.
The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has been accompanied by an increase in consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF), characterized by high energy density and low nutritional quality. Emerging evidence suggests that dietary patterns rich in UPF may contribute to low-grade systemic inflammation and early metabolic dysfunction in children and adolescents.
Objective
This systematic review aimed to evaluate the association between UPF consumption and markers of inflammation and metabolic health in pediatric populations.
Methods
A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Observational and interventional studies evaluating UPF intake or diet-related inflammatory potential in children and adolescents (≤18 years) were included. Outcomes of interest included inflammatory biomarkers (e.g., C-reactive protein, interleukins, tumor necrosis factor-α) and metabolic parameters (e.g., insulin resistance, lipid profile, glucose metabolism).
Results
A limited number of studies have directly assessed UPF consumption using the NOVA classification. Overall, these studies suggest a potential association between increased UPF intake and adverse metabolic outcomes, although findings on inflammatory markers remain inconsistent. A larger body of indirect evidence, including studies assessing dietary inflammatory indices and related dietary patterns, consistently supports a link between pro-inflammatory diets and increased inflammation and metabolic dysregulation in pediatric populations.
Conclusions
Although direct evidence on UPF consumption remains limited, the available findings, supported by complementary indirect evidence, suggest a plausible relationship between UPF-rich diets, inflammation, and metabolic health in children and adolescents. Further well-designed studies are needed to clarify causality and improve the standardization of dietary assessment methods.
Resumen vía Europe PMC. Los derechos de autor siguen siendo de los autores o la editorial (CC BY).
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