Children eating Ultra-Processed Foods were more likely to increase adiposity a year later- small study
Ultraprocessed Food Intake, Striatal Response to Food Cues, and Adiposity Gain in Children
JAMA Network Open. 2026;9(10):e2640252. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.40252
Jasmin M. Alves, PhD; Ella Morgan, BA; Brendan Angelo, MS; Kianna Le, BS; Jared Smith, MS; Ting Chow, PhD; Kay Jann, PhD; Anny H. Xiang, PhD; Kathleen A. Page, MD
46 children of healthy weight (mean [SD] age, 8.7 [1.1] years; 26 [57%] female; baseline BMI range, 13.8-19.9; body fat percentage range, 12.7%-32.2%)
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this cohort study of children of healthy weight, higher habitual UPF intake was associated with greater dorsal striatal responses to food cues and prospective increases in adiposity. These findings suggest that reward-related brain responses may be involved in associations between UPF consumption and adiposity gain during childhood
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