Why eating too many snacks might make your body work harder
Ultra‐Processed Foods and Markers of Systemic Inflammation in Children
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Kids who ate lots of packaged snacks and sugary foods had higher levels of certain body signals that show their immune system is on alert.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
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Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Kids who ate lots of packaged snacks and sugary foods had higher levels of certain body signals that show their immune system is on alert.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 541 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Awad C, Rubilar P, Hirmas-Adauy M, Iglesias V, Muñoz MP, Retamal MA, Carvajal C, Dadvand P, Lassale C
Related Content
Claims (6)
Chronic consumption of ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars drives systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, prompting maladaptive dietary counter-reactions.
Kids who eat a lot of packaged snacks, sugary drinks, and processed meats may have slightly higher levels of a body chemical that signals inflammation, especially if they eat more of these foods.
Older kids (9–10 years old) who eat more packaged and processed foods may have higher levels of a body chemical linked to inflammation, but younger kids don’t show the same pattern.
Eating more processed foods doesn’t seem to change most of the body’s inflammation signals in kids, except maybe for a couple of them.
Kids in this study got about 3 out of every 10 calories from packaged and processed foods, which is a lot and might be bad for their health over time.