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Ultra-processed foods blamed for alarming changes in children’s faces

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American scientists who followed more than 600 overweight Americans found that those who ate more junk food had greater amounts of fat stored within their thigh muscles.

Children fed a diet full of ultra-processed foods (UPF) could be left with buck teeth, worrying research suggests.

Additive-laden foods like chips and candy have been vilified for decades for their supposed risks, and dozens of studies link them to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Experts have even called for UPF (typically anything edible that has more artificial than natural ingredients) to be eliminated from diets.

Now, Spanish scientists who followed dozens of young children found that consuming a diet composed mainly of ultra-processed foods, which are often bland and hyperpalatable, affected jaw development.

Dr. Laura Marqués Martínez, expert in pediatric dentistry at the Catholic University of Valencia and co-author of the study, said: “Chewing plays a crucial role in the proper development of the jaws, as it stimulates bone growth, strengthens facial muscles and promotes proper dental alignment.

‘Chewing solid and fibrous foods, such as fruits, vegetables or natural proteins, exercises the jaw, helping to prevent problems such as malocclusion (misalignment of the teeth) and deficiencies in the size and shape of the dental arches.

‘On the other hand, diets based on ultra-processed foods, which are soft and require minimal effort to chew, negatively impact jaw development.

“These foods, by not adequately stimulating the maxillofacial muscles and bones, can cause underdeveloped bone structures and increase the risk of malocclusion and respiratory problems.”

American scientists who followed more than 600 overweight Americans found that those who ate more junk food had greater amounts of fat stored within their thigh muscles.

The Nova system, developed by scientists in Brazil more than a decade ago, divides foods into four groups based on the amount of processing they have gone through. Unprocessed foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, and meat. Processed culinary ingredients, which are not typically eaten alone, include oils, butter, sugar, and salt.

The Nova system, developed by scientists in Brazil more than a decade ago, divides foods into four groups based on the amount of processing they have gone through. Unprocessed foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, and meat. Processed culinary ingredients, which are not typically eaten alone, include oils, butter, sugar, and salt.

Research has shown that British toddlers consume half the calories of a UPF diet. The figure rises to 59 percent among seven-year-olds.

In the study, the researchers tracked the Eating habits, dental structures and skull shape of 25 children aged three to five years.

They found that those who ate softer foods were more likely to have protruding teeth and lack natural spaces, which are necessary between teeth in early childhood to allow for larger teeth later in life.

One of the UK’s leading diet experts, Professor Tim Spector, also said The telegraph: ‘We’ve been going through this jaw shrinkage epidemic for a few hundred years, but it’s really accelerated in the last two decades.

‘As a result, we are seeing a huge increase in orthodontic problems in children – massive use of braces and much more crooked teeth.

The founder of popular nutrition app ZOE added: “The strongest current theory as to why jaws have shrunk so quickly is that we actually feed our children baby food for their entire lives.”

“So you just don’t develop jaw muscles or jaw size, and you’re not really adapted to chewing.”

One of the UK's leading diet experts, Professor Tim Spector, also told The Telegraph:

One of the UK’s leading diet experts, Professor Tim Spector, also told The Telegraph: “We’ve been going through this epidemic of jaw shrinkage for a few hundred years, but it’s really accelerated in the last two decades.” .

The general term UPF is used to cover anything edible made with dyes, sweeteners and preservatives that extend shelf life.

Prepared meals, ice cream, and tomato ketchup are some of the most beloved examples of products that fall under the umbrella term UPF.

This is now synonymous with foods that offer little nutritional value.

They are different from processed foods, which are modified to make them last longer or improve their flavor, such as cured meat, cheese, and fresh bread.

The UK is the worst country in Europe for UPF consumption, which makes up around 57 per cent of the national diet.

They are believed to be a key driver of obesity, which costs the NHS around £6.5bn a year to treat weight-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

Last year, disturbing data also suggested that children who consumed a lot of UPF showed early signs of poor heart health and risk factors for diabetes as early as three years old.

It comes as figures published in September by the House of Commons Library showed that almost half (44.6 per cent) of children in the UK have not seen an NHS dentist for more than a year.

This equates to approximately 5.35 million children, an increase of almost half a million from pre-pandemic data.

The NHS recommends that under-18s have a dental check-up at least once a year because their teeth can deteriorate more quickly. NHS dental care for children is free.

But NHS dentistry has been in crisis for years, with leaders claiming the sector has been chronically underfunded, making it financially unviable to carry out treatments.

Compounding the problem is that, as more dentists leave the NHS, those who remain are becoming overwhelmed by more and more patients.

Brits have also told how they have been on waiting lists for months and traveled abroad to see a dentist after finding it impossible to get an appointment on the NHS, branding the system “Victorian”.

Others have been forced to remove their teeth with pliers or travel abroad for treatment.

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