Esther López-García
Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Autonomous University of Madrid, President of the Nutrition and Obesity Study Observatory (NAOS), and member of the Nutrition Group of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology
What do you think of the articles overall? Are they of good quality?
"These are three excellent articles that highlight the role that ultra-processed foods have played in worsening the diet of the global population by displacing fresh foods. This leads to diets that are of poorer nutritional quality, high in sugars and unhealthy fats and low in fiber and protein, and also exposes the population to harmful chemicals and additives.
In addition, public health policies to reduce the consumption of ultra-processed foods have been evaluated. Many of these policies are similar to those already implemented in Spain by the Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency, such as the elimination of these products from school cafeterias. Finally, it is indicated that the food industry is primarily responsible for the massive consumption of ultra-processed foods and that their production must be regulated."
What implications could this have?
"It could be a boost to public health policies aimed at reducing the consumption of these foods. The quality of the diet needs to be improved because many of the health problems we see in our society are due to an unhealthy diet.
In Spain, the Nutrition and Obesity Study Observatory met on November 18 to share many of the strategies that have been implemented in our country over the last year to reduce the prevalence of obesity in adults and children, which is very high. Some of these strategies involve reducing the population's exposure to the consumption of ultra-processed foods."
Are there any important limitations to consider?
"Most of the scientific evidence linking the consumption of ultra-processed foods to a multitude of chronic diseases has been obtained through observational studies, which have methodological problems in proving that this consumption actually causes the diseases studied, because other types of studies, such as clinical trials, cannot be done to demonstrate the cause-and-effect association. However, the studies conducted to date are sufficient to implement measures to protect the population from consuming this type of food."