The consumption of ultra-processed foods has increased significantly around the world in recent decades and some scientific studies have linked them to an increased risk of developing diseases, from cancer and cardiovascular mortality, to cognitive decline and dementia. These products contain too much sugar, salt and saturated fat and are also often added sweeteners, flavor enhancers, thickeners or colourings, and some studies have shown that they could alter the intestinal microbiota, which could partly explain their detrimental effects on health.
A research project from the Human Nutrition Unit of the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) shows that a high intake of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increase in bacteria related to intestinal diseases. The researchers evaluated 641 elderly people with high cardiovascular risk who lived in various Spanish towns (Reus, Barcelona, Valencia, and Malaga) and divided them into three groups based on their consumption (low, medium, or high) of ultra-processed foods. .
The analysis of the participants’ fecal samples using high-performance computational methods provided information on the composition of their intestinal microbiota, and has revealed that the consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with a greater presence of specific bacteria from the human intestine that have been related to diseases gastrointestinal inflammatory. The research has been published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
Ultra-processed foods alter the intestinal microbiota
Researchers have found that people in the group with a high consumption of ultra-processed foods had a higher amount of bacteria related to gastrointestinal diseases. A finding that, as they explain, suggests that a person’s diet and nutritional status are determining factors in their health through the change in the composition of the intestinal microbiota. For this reason, identifying unhealthy dietary patterns related to the profiles of the intestinal microbiota would be essential to understand the origin and behavior of several diseases and to develop measures for prevention and improvement in public health.
The diet and nutritional status of a person are determining factors in their health through the change in the composition of the intestinal microbiota
The postdoctoral researchers Alessandro Atzeni and María Ángeles Martínez participated in the study with the supervision of Jordi Salas-Salvadó, head of the Human Nutrition Unit of the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the URV. A research team from the CIBEobn (Biomedical Research Network Center for the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition) and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) have also collaborated.
Source: Rovira i Virgili University (URV)
.
