Mottis Gaia, Kandasamey Pratheba, Peleg-Raibstein Daria
Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jun 23;13:1590083. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1590083. eCollection 2025.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are highly refined formulations of non-nutritive compounds containing elevated amounts of sugar, fat, sodium, food additives, and dietary emulsifiers. Consumption of UPF is robustly linked to a range of non-communicable diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental disorders in adults. While substantial research highlights the negative health impacts of UPFs in adulthood, their effects on brain development during critical periods of biological vulnerability, pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence, remain underexplored. During pregnancy, significant metabolic and physiological adaptations occur to support fetal growth, making maternal diet quality essential for optimal perinatal outcomes. Poor maternal nutrition, including high UPF consumption, has been associated with an increased risk of hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, and adverse birth weights, potentially predisposing offspring to metabolic health disorders later in life. Similarly, in early childhood, inadequate nutrition is a key risk factor for developmental impairments, influencing cognitive function and long-term health outcomes. Adolescence, another critical stage of brain maturation, is particularly susceptible to the effects of micronutrient deficiencies, often exacerbated by diets high in UPFs, which can impair neurodevelopment and cognitive performance. As UPFs continue to dominate modern diets, accounting for over 50% of total energy intake in some developed nations, understanding their long-term impact on brain development is crucial. Early-life exposure to UPFs may contribute to lasting cognitive deficits and increased susceptibility to mental health disorders, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted dietary interventions and public health strategies aimed at pregnant women, children, and adolescents.
超加工食品（UPFs）是高度精制的非营养化合物配方，含有大量的糖、脂肪、钠、食品添加剂和膳食乳化剂。食用超加工食品与一系列非传染性疾病密切相关，包括成年人的肥胖症、2型糖尿病、心血管疾病和精神障碍。虽然大量研究强调了超加工食品在成年期对健康的负面影响，但它们在生物易损性的关键时期，即孕期、儿童期和青少年期对大脑发育的影响仍未得到充分探索。在怀孕期间，会发生显著的代谢和生理适应以支持胎儿生长，因此孕妇的饮食质量对于实现最佳围产期结局至关重要。孕妇营养状况不佳，包括大量食用超加工食品，与患高血压疾病、妊娠糖尿病和不良出生体重的风险增加有关，这可能使后代在以后的生活中更容易患代谢性健康疾病。同样，在幼儿期，营养不足是发育障碍的关键风险因素，会影响认知功能和长期健康结局。青少年期是大脑成熟的另一个关键阶段，特别容易受到微量营养素缺乏的影响，而高超加工食品饮食往往会加剧这种情况，这可能会损害神经发育和认知表现。由于超加工食品继续在现代饮食中占据主导地位，在一些发达国家占总能量摄入量的50%以上，了解它们对大脑发育的长期影响至关重要。生命早期接触超加工食品可能会导致持久的认知缺陷，并增加患精神健康障碍的易感性，这凸显了针对孕妇、儿童和青少年的有针对性的饮食干预和公共卫生策略的迫切需求。
