Ultra-Processed Food Consumption Is Associated with Abdominal Obesity: A Prospective Cohort Study in Older Adults

Fondness for ultra-processed foods may result in the accumulation of fat in the abdomen of older men and men.

This study investigated the ultra-processed food intake-obesity connection hypothesis. Researchers used validated food frequency questionnaires to collect and collate data on the ultra-processed food consumption rate of 652 older adults residing in Spain. Anthropometric parameters, including abdominal circumference, of all the participants were measured both at the beginning and end of the study. 

Researchers found increased prevalence of abdominal obesity among high consumers of ultra-processed foods. This study concluded that preference for ultra-processed foods may promote the development of abdominal obesity in older men and women.