Children who consumed ultra-processed foods more showed stronger activation in brain regions associated with reward and motivation when visuals of products such as sweets and snacks were shown. In contrast, compared to children whose diet was based on all foods, the response to visuals of foods with higher nutritional value remained weaker.
The findings indicated that the brain could be conditioned to look for products with high calories but low nutritional value. The research director stated that these patterns could explain how children develop a strong tendency to certain foods and have difficulty accepting healthier options. The study's authors reported that additional research was needed to establish the precise mechanism of the observed changes.
