Oxidative Status of Ultra-Processed Foods in the Western Diet

Lisaura Maldonado-Pereira; Carlo Barnaba; Ilce Gabriela Medina-Meza

doi:10.3390/nu15234873

Oxidative Status of Ultra-Processed Foods in the Western Diet

Nutrients. 2023 Nov 22;15(23):4873. doi: 10.3390/nu15234873.

Authors

Lisaura Maldonado-Pereira^{1

2}, Carlo Barnaba³, Ilce Gabriela Medina-Meza^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
² Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
³ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA.

Abstract

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have gained substantial attention in the scientific community due to their surging consumption and potential health repercussions. In addition to their well-established poor nutritional profile, UPFs have been implicated in containing various dietary oxidized sterols (DOxSs). These DOxSs are associated with a spectrum of chronic diseases, including cardiometabolic conditions, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we present a comprehensive database documenting the presence of DOxSs and other dietary metabolites in >60 UPFs commonly consumed as part of the Western diet. Significant differences were found in DOxS and phytosterol content between ready-to-eat (RTE) and fast foods (FFs). Biomarker analysis revealed that DOxS accumulation, particularly 25-OH and triol, can potentially discriminate between RTEs and FFs. This work underscores the potential utility of dietary biomarkers in early disease detection and prevention. However, an essential next step is conducting exposure assessments to better comprehend the levels of DOxS exposure and their association with chronic diseases.

Keywords: cholesterol oxidation products; dietary oxysterols; lipid oxidation; phytosterols; ultra-processed foods.

MeSH terms

Chronic Disease
Diet
Diet, Western / adverse effects
Energy Intake*
Fast Foods
Food Handling
Food, Processed*
Humans
Oxidative Stress
Sterols

Substances

Sterols

Grants and funding

This study was partially funded by the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety (CRIS) of Michigan State University with the GR100229 grant and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project MICL02526 to I.G.M.-M.