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Ultra-Processed Foods are Silently Altering Your Metabolism, Scientists Warn

The AHA! Team — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 06:33:17 +0000

Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta, Ph.D. via News-Medical – Study identifies metabolic changes caused by ultra-processed foods, raising concerns about their role in obesity, cardiovascular disease, and gut health disruption. Study: Association of ultra-processed foods intake with untargeted metabolomics profiles in adolescents and young adults in the DONALD cohort study. Scientists in France and Germany have conducted a study to identify urine and plasma metabolic biomarkers associated with ultra-processed food intake in adolescents and young adults. The study is currently available as a pre-proof in The Journal of Nutrition. Background Ultra-processed foods refer to industrially processed food products containing food-derived or reconstituted ingredients and other industrially isolated components. These components are typically used to increase the shelf-life and sensory properties of the products. The intake of ultra-processed foods is increasing exponentially worldwide, especially in developed countries. Epidemiological studies have consistently linked high intake of ultra-processed foods, particularly animal-based food products and sweetened beverages, to increased risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders. Excessive intake of ultra-processed foods is also associated with chronic kidney disease, cancer, and neuropsychiatric complications. Ultra-processed foods contain excessive amounts of added sugars, salts, saturated fats, energy-dense components, and lower amounts of proteins and dietary fibers. Such poor nutrient profiles are believed to be responsible for negative health consequences. In this study, scientists have determined the associations between ultra-processed food intake both plasma and urine metabolite levels in adolescents and young adults. They applied untargeted metabolomics analysis to capture a wide array of metabolic changes linked to ultra-processed food intake. Over 40 metabolites linked to ultra-processed food consumption were identified, with key markers like indoxyl glucuronide signaling potential metabolic disruptions. The scientists selected these two biological matrices because short-term changes in metabolite levels related to dietary intake are more reliably reflected in urine samples, and plasma samples provide a more stable overview of long-term diet-responsive metabolic states. Study design The scientists analyzed data from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) study, an ongoing study designed to regularly assess and follow healthy infants until adulthood. The DONALD study has been recruiting healthy infants annually since 1985 and regularly assesses their dietary intake, anthropometric measurements, urine sample collection, blood sample collection, medical parameters, lifestyle factors, and other sociodemographic data. Data from adolescents who provided 3-day dietary records and 24-hour urine samples was analyzed to determine the association between ultra-processed food intake and urinary metabolic profile. For young adults, the association between ultra-processed food intake and blood metabolic profile was determined by analyzing 3 or more 3-day dietary records within the 5-year period preceding a single blood measurement. Important observations A total of 339 adolescent urine samples and 195 young adult blood samples were analyzed in this study. There was an overlap of 139 participants between the two groups. The proportions of ultra-processed food intake relative to total food intake in adolescents and young adults were 22% and 23%, respectively. The most commonly consumed ultra-processed foods in both groups were sweetened beverages and ready-to-heat or ready-to-eat food products. Sweets, chocolates, ice cream, cereals, industrial breads, and processed meats and sausages contributed the most to energy intake. Mean energy contributions of various foods groups to the total UPF energy intake (%) in (A) Adolescent urine. Impact of ultra-processed food intake on urinary metabolic profile A total of 42 ultra-processed food-responsive metabolites were identified in adolescent urine samples. Of these metabolites, 21 showed positive associations with ultra-processed food intake. Among known metabolites identified in urine samples, ultra-processed food intake showed a significant positive association with indoxyl glucuronide and other partially characterized glucuronides. These glucuronides are involved in detoxification processes, notably the elimination of dietary substances through glucuronidation pathways. Impact of ultra-processed food intake on plasma metabolic profile A total of six ultra-processed food-responsive metabolites were identified in young adult plasma samples. Of these metabolites, 4-hydroxyglutamate and two structurally unknown metabolites showed positive associations with ultra-processed food intake. 4-hydroxyglutamate has previously been linked to metabolic syndrome and may be an indicator of metabolic stress. Impact of ultra-processed food intake on urine and plasma metabolite patterns A total of 25 metabolite patterns, identified using robust sparse principal component analysis (PCA), explained 61.7% of the variance in ultra-processed food-mediated metabolic changes in adolescent urine samples. A significant positive association of ultra-processed food intake was observed with one urinary metabolite pattern (‘xenobiotics and amino acids’) and one plasma metabolite pattern (‘lipids, xenobiotics, and amino acids’). Both metabolite patterns shared 29 metabolites that were primarily associated with xenobiotic metabolism, which involves the breakdown and elimination of foreign substances like food additives. Study significance The study finds that ultra-processed foods can induce changes in urine and plasma metabolite levels in adolescents and young adults through various pathways, including xenobiotic metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and lipid pathways. The study identifies indoxyl glucuronide and other partially characterized glucuronides as major urinary metabolites positively associated with ultra-processed food intake. Glucuronides are produced during glucuronidation, a key biological detoxification pathway. Regarding diet-related glucuronidation, evidence suggests that gut microbiome plays a key role in modulating microbial transformation of dietary substrates and glucuronide levels and biosynthesis of microbial metabolites. It is also well-established in the literature that ultra-processed foods can induce gut microbiota dysbiosis, which in turn is associated with a range of health adversities, including immunological and neuropsychological disorders. Overall, the study findings provide useful information on the complex biological mechanisms through which ultra-processed foods may affect metabolism and health. The findings also raise concerns about how the displacement of minimally processed foods by ultra-processed options can lead to both nutritional deficiencies and disruptions in gut health. Journal reference: Muli S. 2024. Association of ultra-processed foods intake with untargeted metabolomics profiles in adolescents and young adults in the DONALD cohort study. The Journal of Nutrition. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002231662401040X To read the original article click here.

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Women with Endometriosis May Have Higher Risk of Stroke

AHA Publisher — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 07:00:54 +0000

American Heart Association (AHA) via Newswise – DALLAS, July 21, 2022 — A large, prospective study found that women with endometriosis may have a higher risk of stroke compared to women without the chronic inflammatory condition, according to new research published today in Stroke, the peer-reviewed flagship journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association. Endometriosis (abnormal growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus) is estimated to affect approximately 10% of reproductive aged women in the U.S., according to study authors. Previous research found that women with endometriosis are at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. “These findings suggest that women with a history of endometriosis may be at higher risk of stroke,” said Stacey A. Missmer, Sc.D., study senior author and professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Clinicians should look at the health of the whole woman, including elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol and other new stroke risk factors, not only symptoms specifically associated with endometriosis, such as pelvic pain or infertility.” In this study, researchers led by first author, Leslie V. Farland, Sc.D., assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at University of Arizona in Tucson, examined the association between endometriosis and the development of ischemic stroke (caused by blood clots blocking blood flow) or hemorrhagic stroke (caused by bleeding in the brain) among women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study II. The analysis involved 112,056 women who were nurses between the ages of 25 and 42 years old from 14 U.S. states at the start of the study in 1989. The current study ended in 2017. A laparoscopy (surgical procedure in which a fiber-optic instrument is inserted through the abdominal wall to view the organs in the abdomen or to permit a surgical procedure) was used to make the diagnosis of endometriosis. Endometriosis was reported in 5,244 women and most of the participants (93%), including those diagnosed with endometriosis, were white women. Researchers analyzed data collected every two years for many possible confounders or risk factors, including alcohol intake, current body mass index, menstrual cycle pattern in adolescence, current oral contraceptive and postmenopausal hormone exposure, smoking history, diet, physical activity, aspirin use, race/ethnicity and income. Additionally, researchers investigated if the link between endometriosis and risk of stroke could be explained by other mediating factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) and postmenopausal hormone therapy. During the 28 years of follow-up including medical record confirmations, researchers documented 893 strokes. The analysis found: Women with endometriosis (5,244) had a 34% greater risk of stroke, compared to those without the condition (106,812). The largest proportion of the stroke risk associated with endometriosis was linked to hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy (39%) and postmenopausal hormone therapy (16%). No significant differences were seen in the relationship between endometriosis and stroke across multiple factors – such as age, infertility history, body mass index or menopausal status. “There are circumstances when a hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy is the best choice for a woman, however, we also need to make sure that patients are aware of the potential health risks associated with these procedures,” Missmer said. “Other research also suggests that hysterectomy is associated with elevated stroke risk even if there is no history of endometriosis.” “These results do not indicate that women who have endometriosis will have a stroke. Instead, these findings signify only an association of moderate relative risk. The absolute risk of stroke in women is low,” Missmer said. “Women with endometriosis should pay attention to their whole body and discuss added risks and preventive options with their health care team.” “While we know that adverse pregnancy outcomes are associated with increased risk of premature cardiovascular disease, this study sheds light on the association of gynecological issues such as endometriosis with stroke, which could impact both patients and clinicians,” said American Heart Association Go Red for Women volunteer Garima Sharma, M.B.B.S., who is director of cardio-obstetrics and assistant director of medicine at Johns Hopkins Cardiology in Baltimore. “Most importantly, this study underscores the importance of understanding reproductive and gynecological history.” The study had several limitations. Data detailing subtypes of strokes was not available. As a result, the relationship between subtypes of strokes and endometriosis could not be evaluated. Another limitation of the study is that researchers were unable to determine the impact of time from endometriosis-associated symptom onset and age at endometriosis diagnosis. To read the original article click here.

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