A diet rich in ultra-processed foods is associated with greater amounts of fat stored within the thigh muscles, regardless of the number of calories consumed or level of physical activity, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society. northern. America (RSNA). Higher amounts of intramuscular fat in the thigh may also increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis.
The use of natural and minimally processed ingredients in many modern diets has declined, increasingly being replaced by ingredients that have been industrially processed, artificially flavored, colored, or chemically altered.
Foods such as breakfast cereals, margarines/spreads, packaged snacks, hot dogs, soft drinks and energy drinks, candy and desserts, frozen pizzas, ready-to-eat meals, mass-produced packaged breads and rolls, and more, include ingredients synthesized. and they are highly processed.
These ultra-processed foods tend to have a longer shelf life and are very appealing as they are convenient and contain a combination of sugar, fat, salt and carbohydrates that affect the brain’s reward system, making it difficult to stop eating.
For the study, the researchers set out to evaluate the association between the intake of ultra-processed foods and its relationship with intramuscular fat in the thigh.
“The novelty of this study is that it investigates the impact of diet quality, specifically the role of ultra-processed foods in relation to intramuscular fat in thigh muscles assessed by MRI,” said author Zehra Akkaya, MD, researcher and former Fulbright scholar. in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco. “This is the first imaging study to look at the relationship between MRI-based skeletal muscle quality and diet quality.”
For the study, researchers analyzed data from 666 people who participated in the Osteoarthritis Initiative and were not already affected by osteoarthritis, based on imaging. The Osteoarthritis Initiative is a nationwide research study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, that helps researchers better understand how to prevent and treat knee osteoarthritis.
“Research from our group and others has previously shown that quantitative and functional impairment of thigh muscles is potentially associated with the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis,” Dr. Akkaya said. “On MRI scans, this decline can be seen as fatty degeneration of the muscle, where streaks of fat replace muscle fibers.”
Of the 666 individuals (455 men, 211 women) the average age was 60 years. On average, participants were overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 27. About 40% of the foods they ate last year were ultra-processed.
Researchers found that the more ultra-processed foods people ate, the more intramuscular fat they had in their thigh muscles, regardless of energy (calorie) intake.
“In an adult population at risk for, but without, osteoarthritis of the knee or hip, consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with increased fat in the thigh muscles,” Dr. Akkaya said. “These findings held regardless of dietary energy content, BMI, sociodemographic factors, or physical activity levels.”
Targeting modifiable lifestyle factors (mainly prevention of obesity through a healthy, balanced diet and adequate exercise) has been the mainstay of initial treatment of knee osteoarthritis, Dr. Akkaya noted.
“Osteoarthritis is an increasingly prevalent and costly global health problem. It is the largest contributor to non-cancer healthcare costs in the US and around the world,” said Dr. Akkaya. “Since this condition is closely related to obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, there are potential avenues to modify lifestyle and control the disease.”
By exploring how consumption of ultra-processed foods affects muscle composition, this study provides valuable information on the influences of diet on muscle health.
“Understanding this relationship could have important clinical implications, as it offers new insight into how diet quality affects musculoskeletal health,” Dr. Akkaya said.
Co-authors are Gabby B. Joseph, Ph.D., Katharina Ziegeler, MD, Wynton M. Sims, John A. Lynch, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Link, M.D., Ph.D.