Boys who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods during early childhood more likely to become obese

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-02-01 03:00

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Canadian and Malaysian scientists say eating a lot of ultra-processed foods (UPF) during early childhood is linked to obesity later in childhood, particularly among boys. They asked Canadian parents about their kids' diet at age three and followed up with body measurements when they were five, including a total of 2,217 children. They found a higher UPF intake at three years of age was linked with higher measures of obesity at five years of age, but only in the boys. No link was found among the girls in the study. Worryingly, they found nearly half the children's diets at age three were made up of UPFs. The scientists say their findings could be used to help develop targeted health initiatives aimed at parents and caregivers, encouraging them to cut back on UPFs for their young children.