The Study
Associations of ultra-processed food intake with maternal weight change and cardiometabolic health and infant growth
This study watched a group of pregnant women and noticed that those who ate more packaged snacks and sugary drinks also tended to gain more weight and have higher inflammation. But it didn’t change what they ate—it just watched. So we can’t say the snacks caused the weight gain—maybe other things like stress or sleep were involved.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at what pregnant women ate and how much weight they gained, to see if eating lots of packaged, processed foods made a difference.
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 572 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—gaining too much weight during pregnancy can lead to health problems for both mom and baby, so even small increases matter.
- 2Women who ate more ultra-processed foods (like chips, soda, and ready meals) during pregnancy gained more weight while pregnant, kept on more of that weight after birth, and had higher levels of a body inflammation marker—even when they ate the same number of calories as others.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
Year
2022
Authors
J. Cummings, L. Lipsky, C. Schwedhelm, Aiyi Liu, T. Nansel
Related Content
Claims (6)
Pregnant individuals who consume more ultra-processed foods have higher levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in the blood, even when total calorie intake is accounted for.
Women who consume more ultra-processed foods during pregnancy tend to gain more weight, even when their total calorie intake is accounted for.
Eating ultra-processed foods during pregnancy does not change how infants grow in weight relative to their length during the first year of life.
In U.S. pregnant women, higher consumption of ultra-processed foods during pregnancy is linked to greater weight gain during pregnancy and more weight retained after childbirth, along with higher levels of a marker of inflammation.
People who consume large amounts of animal protein and ultra-processed foods have higher levels of systemic inflammation and a higher incidence of autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular disease.
Eating ultra-processed foods after childbirth does not change how much weight mothers retain or how their babies grow. The period during pregnancy may matter more for the mother's metabolic health than eating these foods after giving birth.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.