The Study
Association between ultra-processed foods consumption and micronutrient intake and diet quality in Iranian adults: a multicentric study
This study looked at what people ate and how healthy their diets were at the same time, like taking a snapshot. It found that people who ate more processed snacks and drinks also tended to eat fewer fruits, veggies, and whole grains. But it doesn't prove that the snacks caused the bad diet — maybe people with bad diets just happen to eat more snacks.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at what people in Iran ate and found that those who ate more packaged, processed foods like chips and sugary drinks got fewer important vitamins and minerals from their meals.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — even though UPF made up a small part of the diet, eating more of them meant people ate fewer healthy foods and missed out on essential nutrients needed for energy and health.
- 2People who ate the most ultra-processed foods got 8.5% of their daily calories from them and had lower intakes of fiber, fruits, whole grains, and key nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamin C.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Public Health Nutrition
Year
2022
Authors
F. Haghighatdoost, Parisa Hajihashemi, N. Mohammadifard, F. Najafi, Hossein Farshidi, M. Lotfizadeh, T. Kazemi, Simin Karimi, S. Shirani, K. Solati, N. Sarrafzadegan
Related Content
Claims (6)
People in Iran who eat more ultra-processed foods tend to eat less whole grains, refined grains, fruits, and meat.
Iranian adults who consume more ultra-processed foods have diets with less carbohydrates, protein, fiber, whole grains, fruits, and meat, and more total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.
Adults who eat the most ultra-processed foods have lower levels of essential nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and vitamins C, B1, and B3 compared to those who eat the least ultra-processed foods, even when accounting for age, sex, and total calories consumed.
Iranian adults who eat more ultra-processed foods have lower nutrient density scores and poorer diet quality compared to those who eat less.
In Iranian adults, ultra-processed foods provide 8.5% of daily calories and are linked to poorer nutritional quality in the diet.
Whole, unprocessed foods contain higher levels of essential micronutrients and bioactive compounds that are necessary for normal metabolic and neurological function.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.