Giampieri Francesca, Rosi Alice, Frias-Toral Evelyn, Abdelkarim Osama, Aly Mohamed, Ammar Achraf, Zambrano-Villacres Raynier, Pons Juancho, Vázquez-Araújo Laura, Decembrino Nunzia, Scuderi Alessandro, Leonardi Alice, Monasta Lorenzo, Maniega Legarda Fernando, Mata Ana, Chacón Adrián, Busó Pablo, Grosso Giuseppe
Department of Clinical Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
Research Group on Food, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Isabel Torres 21, 39011 Santander, Spain.
Foods. 2025 Jul 28;14(15):2648. doi: 10.3390/foods14152648.
Western dietary patterns worldwide are increasingly dominated by energy-dense, nutrient-deficient industrial foods, often identified as ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Such products may have detrimental health implications, particularly if nutritionally inadequate. This study aimed to examine the intake of unhealthy UPFs among children and adolescents from five Mediterranean countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, and Lebanon) involved in the DELICIOUS project and to assess the association with dietary quality indicators.
A survey was conducted with a sample of 2011 parents of children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years to evaluate their dietary habits. Diet quality was assessed using the Youth Healthy Eating Index (Y-HEI), the KIDMED index to determine adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and compliance with national dietary guidelines.
Increased UPF consumption was not inherently associated with healthy or unhealthy specific food groups, although children and adolescents who consumed UPF daily were less likely to exhibit high overall diet quality and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. In all five countries, greater UPF intake was associated with poorer compliance with dietary recommendations concerning fats, sweets, meat, and legumes.
Increased UPF consumption among Mediterranean children and adolescents is associated with an unhealthy dietary pattern, possibly marked by a high intake of fats, sweets, and meat, and a low consumption of legumes.
全球范围内，西方饮食模式越来越多地被能量密集、营养缺乏的工业化食品主导，这些食品通常被认定为超加工食品（UPFs）。此类产品可能对健康产生有害影响，尤其是在营养不充足的情况下。本研究旨在调查参与“美味”项目的五个地中海国家（意大利、西班牙、葡萄牙、埃及和黎巴嫩）儿童和青少年对不健康超加工食品的摄入量，并评估其与饮食质量指标之间的关联。
对2011名6至17岁儿童和青少年的家长进行了一项调查，以评估他们的饮食习惯。饮食质量通过青少年健康饮食指数（Y-HEI）、用于确定对地中海饮食依从性的儿童地中海饮食质量指数（KIDMED指数）以及对国家饮食指南的遵循情况来评估。
超加工食品消费量的增加与特定的健康或不健康食物组并无内在关联，尽管每日食用超加工食品的儿童和青少年整体饮食质量高以及坚持地中海饮食的可能性较低。在所有五个国家中，超加工食品摄入量越高，在脂肪、甜食、肉类和豆类方面对饮食建议的遵循情况就越差。
地中海地区儿童和青少年超加工食品消费量的增加与不健康的饮食模式相关，其特点可能是高脂肪、高糖、高肉类摄入量以及低豆类消费量。
