(P12-10-26) Ultra-Processed Food Intake in Childhood and the Gut Microbiota: The CHILD Cohort Study

Objectives: Ultra-processed foods (UPF) now account for a substantial proportion of children’s diets in many countries, including Canada, and have been linked to adverse metabolic health outcomes. A proposed underlying mechanism is gut microbiome dysbiosis, which is central in metabolic and inflammatory pathways. However, little is known about how UPF consumption in early childhood shapes the developing gut microbiota. Therefore, we aimed to examine the associations between UPF and UPF subgroups intake in early childhood and gut microbiota at age eight years in the Canadian CHILD Cohort Study.

Methods: Among 1126 participants enrolled in CHILD, dietary intake was assessed at ages 3y and 5y using 112- and 114-item food frequency questionnaires, respectively. UPFs were identified using the NOVA system and items were mapped into UPF subgroups. Stool samples were collected at age 8y, and processed with shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Microbiome alpha diversity was assessed using the Shannon index. Associations between UPF intake and microbial diversity and taxa abundance were examined using MaAsLin2 models.

Results: At 3y and 5y of age, UPF contributed to nearly half of total daily energy intake. Higher UPF intake at both time points tended to be associated with lower gut microbial alpha diversity at age 8y, though they did not reach statistical significance. When examining UPF subgroups, higher intake of artificial and sugar-sweetened beverages (e.g., soda, fruit drinks) at 3y, and sweets and desserts (e.g., chocolate, candy, pudding, cakes) at 5y were significantly associated with lower Shannon diversity at 8y (p < 0.05). Taxonomic analyses further revealed that higher UPF intake was associated with greater relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and lower abundance of Clostridium and Lachnospira species (FDR-adjusted p < 0.05) at 8y, suggesting that diets high in UPF may be linked to differences in specific microbial taxa.

Conclusions: Ultra-processed food intake in childhood may influence gut microbiota diversity and composition at the age of eight. Ongoing analyses within the CHILD study will further examine concurrent dietary patterns at 8y, analyze functional metagenomic data, and explore whether specific microbial species mediate the associations between early UPF intake and cardiometabolic outcomes.

Funding Sources: Canadian Institutes of Health Research