SynthesisClinical epigenetics2025
A meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies of ultra-processed food consumption with DNA methylation in European children.
Synthesis in Clinical epigenetics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- Exploring the Connection Between Ultra-Processed Foods and Breast Cancer: From Adiposity to Inflammation and Beyond.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Novel epigenetic marks of insulin resistance trajectories in a longitudinal study of childhood obesity.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2026Article
- The "pro-inflammatory imprint" of ultra-processed food exposure: a review of mechanisms affecting child and adolescent health and development via the gut microbiome-inflammation axis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- High Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods Is Associated with Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Differences in Women: A Pilot Study.Nutrients · 2025Observational
- Ultra-Processed Foods and Respiratory and Allergic Diseases in Childhood: Epidemiological Evidence and Mechanistic Insights.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Epigenome-wide association study of BMI and waist-to-hip ratio and their associations with dietary patterns in Korean adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Ultra-Processed Diets and Endocrine Disruption, Explanation of Missing Link in Rising Cancer Incidence Among Young Adults.Cancers · 2025Review
- A Scoping Review of Epigenetic Signatures of Diet and Diet-related Metabolites: Insights from Epigenome-Wide Association Studies and Their Implications for Cardiometabolic Health and Diseases.The Yale journal of biology and medicine · 2025Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
27 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectiveThere is limited knowledge on how diet affects the epigenome of children. Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is emerging as an important factor impacting health, but mechanisms need to be uncovered. We therefore aimed to assess the association between UPF consumption and DNA methylation in children.
methodsWe conducted a meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) from a total of 3152 children aged 5-11 years from four European studies (HELIX, Generation XXI, ALSPAC, and Generation R). UPF consumption was defined applying the Nova food classification system (group 4), and DNA methylation was measured in blood with Illumina Infinium Methylation arrays. Associations were estimated within each cohort using robust linear regression models, adjusting for relevant covariates, followed by a meta-analysis of the resulting EWAS estimates.
resultsAlthough no CpG was significant at FDR level, we found suggestive associations (p-value < 10
conclusionWe only found suggestive changes in methylation at 7 CpGs associated with UPF intake in a large EWAS among children: although this shows a potential impact of UPF intake on DNAm, this might not be a key mechanism underlying the health effects of UPFs in children. There is a need for more detailed dietary assessment in children studies and of intervention studies to assess potential epigenetic changes linked to a reduction in UPF in the diet.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.