Eating ultra-processed foods may raise risk of MS for kids, new study finds
Diets rich in fast foods, soft drinks, instant noodles linked to childhood-onset MS
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In wealthier countries, highly-processed foods have become a dietary staple. (Photo from iStock)
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Eating ultra-processed foods is linked to a higher likelihood of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis, a new study found.
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Each 10% increase in the consumption of these foods was associated with a more than 30% greater risk of MS developing in childhood or adolescence.
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More research is needed to confirm this association and its underlying mechanisms.
Eating greater amounts of ultra-processed foods is significantly linked to a higher likelihood of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in childhood or adolescence, a new study that used data from Canada and the U.S. has found.
In fact, according to the researchers, each additional 10% consumption of such foods — which include salty snacks, packaged cookies, cured meats, and instant noodles — was tied to a more than 30% higher risk of having MS symtoms beginning in childhood.
“Higher consumption was associated with higher odds” of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis, the scientists wrote.
These findings add to a large body of evidence that eating lots of highly processed food during childhood and adolescence may have negative long-term health impacts, the researchers noted.
Still, the team cautioned that the data don’t definitively prove a cause-and-effect relationship, and stressed that more research is needed to explore this association.
The study, “Higher ultra-processed food consumption is associated with higher likelihood of paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.
Ultra-processed foods are an increasingly common part of diet for many people worldwide. Examples of such foods include fast food, soft drinks, packaged snacks, deli-style meats, and frozen desserts. There’s a growing body of evidence linking these foods with an increased risk of various health issues.
“Higher exposure to ultra-processed foods has been associated with several chronic conditions in adults and children, including adverse [heart health] outcomes, mental disorders, and all-cause mortality,” the researchers wrote.
Researchers used statistical models to look for links
Consumption of such foods generally is higher in more affluent nations, the team noted.
“In high-income countries, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, and Canada, ultra-processed foods contribute approximately half or more of total energy intake,” the scientists wrote.
The team added that, in the U.S. and Canada, “children and adolescents remain the largest consumers of ultra-processed foods, raising concerns about the long-lasting negative health impacts of the early exposure to these foods.”
MS is an inflammatory disorder that causes damage in the brain and spinal cord, leading to neurological symptoms that can include pain, fatigue, and trouble moving. While the disease usually manifests in adulthood, it can sometimes develop in childhood or adolescence. This rare subtype is called pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS).
Previous research has suggested that a diet with more ultra-processed foods is associated with a higher risk of MS in adults. Here, an international team of scientists wanted to see if this same association was detectable in young people.
The researchers analyzed data from 80 individuals with POMS and 46 controls without a known neurological or immune-related condition. Based on standardized dietary questionnaires, the team estimated how much ultra-processed foods each participant was consuming. The researchers then used statistical models to see if the POMS patients tended to eat more ultra-processed foods, which would imply an association between this type of food and POMS risk.
The findings indeed showed that ultra-processed food intake was generally higher among POMS patients than controls. In the statistical models, every 10% increase in ultra-processed food consumption was associated with a 35% higher odds of having POMS.
[In the U.S. and Canada,] children and adolescents remain the largest consumers of ultra-processed foods, raising concerns about the long-lasting negative health impacts of the early exposure to these foods.
In other models, the researchers divided the participants into tertiles — that is, the three groups with the most, middle, and least amounts of ultra-processed food consumption. Statistical analyses showed patients in the higher tertile were more than five times as likely to have POMS than those in the lowest tertile.
“Ultra-processed food consumption was associated with higher likelihood of PoMS,” the researchers concluded, adding that “the strength of the association suggests that research exploring the impact of ultraprocessed food compounds on MS is of interest.”
The scientists stressed that this study cannot definitively prove a cause-and-effect relationship between POMS and ultra-processed foods, noting that dietary habits were assessed after the onset of POMS and their analysis only looked for statistical associations at that single point in time.
As such, “more comprehensive longitudinal dietary histories are required to explore this association and its underlying mechanism/s,” they wrote.
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