Blood and urine tests have been found to detect the amount of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) a person eats, according to new research.
Using machine learning, scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified hundreds of metabolites (molecules produced during metabolism) that correlated with processed food intake.
The team developed a “biomarker score” that predicts ultraprocessed food intake based on metabolite measurements in blood and urine, according to Erikka Loftfield, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the National Cancer Institute in Maryland.
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The researchers drew baseline data from 718 older adults who provided urine and blood samples and reported their dietary habits over a 12-month period, as detailed in an NIH press release.
Next, they conducted a small clinical trial of 20 adults. For two weeks, the group ate a diet high in ultraprocessed foods, and for another two weeks they ate a diet with no UPFs.
“In our study, we found that hundreds of serum and urine metabolites were correlated with percentage energy from ultraprocessed food intake,” Loftfield told Fox News Digital.
The findings were published in the journal PLOS Medicine.
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Large-scale studies investigating the health risks of ultraprocessed foods often rely on self-reported dietary questionnaires, which can be prone to errors, per the NIH.
The new blood and urine test helps to reduce human error by using objective biomarkers, a growing area of interest among researchers.
Loftfield added, “It was surprising to find that UPF-correlated metabolites are involved in numerous and diverse biological pathways, underscoring the complex impact of diet on the metabolome.”
Ultraprocessed foods are defined as “ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat, industrially manufactured products, typically high in calories and low in essential nutrients,” according to the NIH.
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Chronic diseases, obesity and various forms of cancer have been linked to diets that are heavy in UPFs.
Looking ahead
Despite promising results, the researchers emphasized that the new method will require further validation before broader use.
Since the current trial focused mainly on older adults, more research is needed across various age groups and diets, the experts said.
“Metabolite scores should be evaluated and improved in populations with different diets and a wide range of UPF intake,” Loftfield acknowledged.
This method could potentially be used in future research to link the consumption of processed foods with chronic diseases, according to the researchers.
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“For individuals concerned about ultraprocessed food intake, one practical recommendation is to use ‘nutrition facts’ labels to avoid foods high in added sugars, saturated fat and sodium, as this can limit UPF intake and align with robust scientific research on diet and health,” Loftfield suggested.
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