Measuring the amount of food (UPF) that someone eats is often difficult for nutrition researchers due to self -reporting prejudice.
Now, a new study by the National Cancer Institute shows that blood and urine can use a specific combination of certain metabolites to reveal human UPF intake.
Post Plos,,, These “poly metrosis scores” can provide reliable alternatives to their own reporting diet data.
The reason why it is difficult to study UPF intake
UPFS makeup More than half of calories In an average American diet. These are the same products such as packaged snacks, refreshing drinks and meals that can be eaten immediately. Industry is manufactured industrial and often add sugar, fat and additives. More and more research institutes are related to high UPF consumption. obesity,,, Type 2 diabetes,,, Heart disease and Certain cancer.
But it is difficult to study UPFs about health. Most studies depend on their own reporting diet data, which can be uneven or inaccurate. It is difficult for people to forget what they have eaten, or to make a misunderstanding of the size, so that the UPF affects the body.
In addition, there is no objective method that is widely accepted by measuring UPF intake such as the established biomarker and providing a clearer picture to the researchers.
“UPF’s global production and availability is high, but it is difficult to accurately measure UPF consumption.” Sayed Research author.
Previous study In order to reflect the pattern of the general perception, we used a metabolite that measures small molecules of blood or urine. But only a few people focused on the UPF and were small or limited.
Researchers have begun developing and testing a combination of blood or urine metabolites. The goal was to find a reliable and objective biomarker that can be used in large -scale studies to complement or reduce the dependence on its own diet data.
Build a new biomarker score
This study was divided into two parts of large observation studies and smaller and closely controlled supply tests. Observation studies used the data of 718 elderly people who participated. AARP diet and health study. They provided recalls, blood and urine samples for 24 hours over 12 months.
The second part of this study included 20 healthy volunteers from the National Institute of Health Clinical Center. Participants followed two diets for two weeks for two weeks. The first was 80%of energy from UPFS, and the second was to do nothing while living during observation. Then the two groups switched to the diet. Blood and urine were collected at 2 months intervals to explain the diet and the everyday changes of metabolism.
Researchers to measure UPF intake Nova classification system. At the same time, they performed a metabolite profile ring with no targets for all vivo. They saw more than 1,000 small molecules in blood and urine without prior selection goals.
They found more than 200 metabolites that are largely related to UPF intake.
From this, the team has built two “polymetbeing light scores”. The first is based on 28 blood metabolites, and the other used 33 metabolites in the urine. This score can estimate UPF consumption without the need for self -report food data.
In the observation group, the score was well tracked with the participants reported. In lactation studies, they clearly distinguished two diets within their individuals.
The team used cross -validation to avoid overload or suitability and confirmed the results in various types of samples and settings.
Too much suitable
Overfitting is when the statistical model is so close to the educational data, and captures noise instead of the default pattern. As a result, the model is well done in the data, but the invisible new data does not work well.
Objective UPF biomarkers can change nutritional research.
The ability to measure how much people actually eat without asking people to fill or eat food diary is a big stage of nutrition research. This blood and urine -based polymetham metabolic score can help to improve the accuracy of research that connects diet and disease and move beyond self -reporting.
The score can also help to clarify how the UPF affects the long -term health, including the fact that the formula has a relevant diseases risk tracking and potentially customizing nutritional advice to individuals.
“The identified poly-metbay metabolic score is an objective measure of UPF intake in large population studies, which can complement or reduce dependence on data.” Sayed author.
But most of the participants in this study were American adults, so it’s not clear how well these scores work in more diverse populations.
The authors said, “In a group with a variety of diets and extensive UPF intake, the author must evaluate the polymet metabolic score and improve it repeatedly.” addition.
The next step of the researcher is to test and improve these scores in a wider group and to check whether metabolite profiles are associated with specific health results such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
As a team statedThis score can provide new insights in the role of UPF in human health.
reference: Identification and verification of poly-methagers scores for high foods in ultra-processed foods such as abar L, Steele EM, Lee SK: Observation Study and Randomy Control Cross Leading Test. Plos. 2025. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004560
This article is A’s work press release Issuance by PLOS. Data on length and content have been edited.
