In 2010, Brazilian epidemiologist Dr Carlos Monteiro, clinical organizer of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, got worldwide acknowledgment for establishing the NOVA category. At first not based on robust mathematical factors or randomized research studies, NOVA stood out globally for presenting the idea of ultraprocessed foods, bringing considerable modifications in nutrition and public health, as well as triggering pain in the food market.
Throughout the International Congress on Obesity in São Paulo, Brazil, Monteiro provided the most recent proof supporting his category. He shared the session with Canadian scientist Dr Kevin Hall, senior private investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland. Hall’s research study, till then, had actually been inspired by apprehension relating to Monteiro’s concepts.
Monteiro started the session by detailing the fundamental facility of the NOVA category, which classifies foods according to the degree of processing. The classifications consist of unprocessed or minimally processed foods like bagged beans and pasteurized milk; processed cooking active ingredients like butter, olive oil, and sugar; processed foods like canned grains and veggies, jams, and tomato paste; and ultraprocessed foods, which are items arising from aggressive fractionation of unprocessed foods, such as sodas, cookies, and frozen pizzas.
“Ultraprocessed foods were produced to change fresh meals, not to offer the essential [nutrient] percentage or enhance sensory homes. For this, there are a series of commercial procedures. [Foods] are hydrolyzed, hydrogenated, extruded, and prepared through commercial techniques like frying. To make them tasty and resilient, cosmetic ingredients such as tastes, emulsifiers, colorings, and flavorings are included. All these procedures describe the name ‘ultraprocessed’ and have effect on the last quality of the food and health,” described Monteiro.
He provided clinical proof on the dangers related to extreme usage of these items. A methodical evaluation released in February 2024, performed by specialists from different organizations such as the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore and the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia, evaluated information from more than 9 million individuals. The research study discovered direct associations in between direct exposure to ultraprocessed food and 32 health criteria, covering death, cancer, and problems connected to psychological, breathing, cardiovascular, intestinal, and metabolic health.
In addition, Monteiro provided a research study of his own, which is under peer evaluation. The outcomes recommend that ultraprocessed food presently offers near to or over half of the calories in the diet plans of industrialized nations such as Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. In middle-income nations, usage is likewise substantial however in smaller sized, though increasing, percentages (eg, almost 20% in Brazil).
The research study evaluated information from 93 nations on the intake and sales of ultraprocessed food in between 2007 and 2022. “The outcomes reveal a constant boost in the intake of these items, particularly in low- and middle-income nations. On the other hand, high-income nations reveal stabilization, the outcome of a decrease in the sales of sweet beverages, balanced out by the boost in other ultraprocessed foods,” stated Monteiro.
