6533b7d5fe1ef96bd126393d

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Association between degree of processing, glycaemic impact, satiety potential and nutrient profile of 279 ready-to-eat foods commonly consumed by French elderly population

subject

description

International audience; Epidemiological studies clearly show that a high adherence to ultra-processed products is associated with increased prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases. Ultra-processed foods are made of recombined ingredients and added with various additives. They are also characterized by the loss of food structure and micronutrient density through refining. Yet, food structure plays an essential role in food glycaemic impact and satiety potential. In a preliminary study, we showed on 98 ready-to-eat foods usually consumed by diabetic subjects that the more foods are processed the higher their glycaemic impact and the lower their satiety potential. The objective of this study was to test this association on a broader range of ready-to-eat foods usually consumed by the French elderly population. The most consumed foods (n = 279) were extracted from the NutriNet-Santé study (consumption > 5%). They were classified into 3 groups according to their degree of processing by using the international NOVA classification [minimally-processed (1), processed (2) and ultra-processed (3)]. Their satiety potential was calculated from the Fullness Factor (FF). Their glycaemic impact was evaluated by either glycaemic index (GI, equi-carbohydrate comparison) or glycaemic glucose equivalent (GGE in g/100 g of food, equi-food comparison). The data for the GI, GGE, FF and degree of processing were correlated using the nonparametric Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (Rs) for quantitative data. Results showed that the more processed are foods the less satiating they are, and the highest their glycaemic impact.The correlation between GI and degree of processing (Rs = 0.35, p = 0.0023) was less strong than with GGE (Rs = 0.44, p = 6.5 x 10-5). The study suggests that complex, natural, minimally and/or processed foods should be encouraged for consumption rather than highly unstructured and ultra-processed foods. Further works are being carried out to quantify degree of processing more accurately via both nutritional composition and food structure parameters.