Kids and teens in the U.S. get the majority of their calories from ultra-processed foods like frozen pizza, microwavable meals, chips and cookies, a new study has found.

一項新的研究發(fā)現，美國的兒童和青少年從冷凍比薩餅、微波爐餐、薯片和餅干等超加工食品中獲取大部分熱量。
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Two-thirds — or 67% — of calories consumed by children and adolescents in 2018 came from ultra-processed foods, a jump from 61% in 1999, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the medical journal JAMA. The research, which analyzed the diets of 33,795 youths age 2 to 19 across the U.S., noted the "overall poorer nutrient profile" of the ultra-processed foods.

根據發(fā)表在醫(yī)學雜志《美國醫(yī)學會雜志》上的一項同行評審研究，2018年兒童和青少年消費的三分之二--或67%--的卡路里來自超加工食品，比1999年的61%有所上升。這項研究分析了全美國33,795名2至19歲青少年的飲食，指出超加工食品的 "整體營養(yǎng)成分較差"。

"This is particularly worrisome for children and adolescents because they are at a critical life stage to form dietary habits that can persist into adulthood," says Fang Fang Zhang, the study's senior author and a nutrition and cancer epidemiologist at Tuft University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and policy. "A diet high in ultra-processed foods may negatively influence children's dietary quality and contribute to adverse health outcomes in the long term."

"該研究的高級作者、圖夫特大學弗里德曼營養(yǎng)科學和政策學院的營養(yǎng)和癌癥流行病學家張芳芳說："這對兒童和青少年來說特別令人擔憂，因為他們正處于形成飲食習慣的關鍵生命階段，這種習慣可以持續(xù)到成年期。"超加工食品含量高的飲食可能對兒童的飲食質量產生負面影響，并導致長期的不良健康結果"。

One reason for the increase may be the convenience of ultra-processed foods, Zhang says. Industrial processing, such as changing the physical structure and chemical composition of foods, not only gives them a longer shelf life but also a more appetizing taste.

張說，增加的一個原因可能是超加工食品的便利性。工業(yè)加工，如改變食品的物理結構和化學成分，不僅使它們有更長的保質期，而且有更多令人胃口的味道。

"Things like sugar, corn syrup, some hemp oil and other ingredients that we usually don't usually use in our kitchen, that are extracted from foods and synthesized in the laboratory, those are being added in the final product of ultra-processed foods," Zhang said. "A purpose of doing this is to make them highly palatable. So kids will like those foods that somehow make it hard to resist."

"像糖、玉米糖漿、一些麻油和其他我們通常在廚房里不常使用的成分，這些都是從食物中提取并在實驗室中合成的，這些都被添加到超加工食品的最終產品中，"張說。"這樣做的一個目的是使它們具有高度的適口性。所以孩子們會喜歡那些在某種程度上讓人難以抗拒的食物。"

During the same two-decade period when the study data was collected, the consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods decreased to 23.5% from 28.8%, the study found.

研究發(fā)現，在收集研究數據的同一個二十年期間，未加工或最小加工食品的消費從28.8%下降到23.5%。
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The greatest increase in calories came from ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat meals such as pizza, sandwiches and hamburgers, rising to 11.2% of calories from 2.2%. Packaged sweet snacks and treats such as cakes and ice cream were a runner-up, which made up 12.9% of calorie consumption in 2018, compared to 10.6% in 1999.

卡路里的最大增長來自即食或即熱餐，如比薩餅、三明治和漢堡包，占卡路里的比例從2.2%上升到11.2%。包裝好的甜食和點心，如蛋糕和冰淇淋是亞軍，在2018年占卡路里消費的12.9%，而1999年為10.6%。

When broken down by race and ethnicity, the growth in consumption of ultra-processed foods was significantly higher for Black, non-Hispanic youth, compared to white, non-Hispanic youths. The study also noted that Mexican American youths consumed ultra-processed foods at a persistently lower rate, which the researchers said may indicate more home cooking by Hispanic families.

當按種族和族裔細分時，與白人非西班牙裔青年相比，黑人非西班牙裔青年對超加工食品的消費增長明顯更高。該研究還指出，墨西哥裔美國青年消費超加工食品的比率一直較低，研究人員說這可能表明西班牙裔家庭有更多的家庭烹飪。
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The study also found that the education levels of parents or family income didn't affect consumption of ultra-processed foods, suggesting that these types of foods are common in many households.

該研究還發(fā)現，父母的教育水平或家庭收入并不影響超加工食品的消費，這表明這些類型的食品在許多家庭很常見。

But the responsibility for tackling this problem shouldn't fall only on parents, Zhang says.

張說，但是解決這個問題的責任不應該只落在父母身上。

While she would encourage parents and children to consider "replacing ultra-processed foods with minimally and unprocessed foods," Zhang says changes at the policy level are needed "to achieve a broader and more sustainable impact."

雖然她鼓勵父母和孩子們考慮 "用最小化和未加工的食品取代超加工食品"，但張說需要在政策層面上進行改變，"以實現更廣泛和更持久的影響"。

Take, for instance, consumption of soda. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages dropped to 5.3% from 10.8% of overall calories. The study's researchers noted that the decline could be related to efforts such as soda taxes and raising awareness about the effects sugar has on youth health.

以蘇打水的消費為例。含糖飲料的消費量從占總熱量的10.8%下降到5.3%。該研究的研究人員指出，這種下降可能與蘇打水稅和提高對糖對青少年健康影響的認識等努力有關。

"We may have won this battle, at least partially for some sugary beverages," Zhang says, "but we haven't yet against ultra-processed foods."

"我們可能已經贏得了這場戰(zhàn)斗，至少部分贏得了一些含糖飲料，"張說，"但我們還沒有贏得對超加工食品的戰(zhàn)斗。"

This widespread reliance on junk food is an increasing public health concern, as the obesity rate has been rising steadily among U.S. youths for the past two decades.

這種對垃圾食品的廣泛依賴是一個日益嚴重的公共健康問題，因為在過去20年里，美國青少年的肥胖率一直在穩(wěn)步上升。

While the study's authors said that the relationship between childhood obesity and ultra-processed foods is complex, they acknowledge that "cohort studies provide consistent evidence suggesting high intake of ultra-processed foods contribute to obesity in children and young adults."

雖然該研究的作者說，兒童肥胖和超加工食品之間的關系很復雜，但他們承認，"隊列研究提供了一致的證據，表明超加工食品的高攝入量有助于兒童和年輕成年人的肥胖"。

Indeed, a 2019 study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that a diet filled with ultra-processed foods encourages people to overeat and gain weight compared to diets that consist of whole or minimally processed foods.

事實上，美國國立衛(wèi)生研究院的研究人員在2019年的一項研究中發(fā)現，與由完整或最小加工食品組成的飲食相比，充滿超加工食品的飲食鼓勵人們暴飲暴食并增加體重。