OLDER NOT WISER –
Oct. 8, 2025 – The researchers found the overall prevalence of UPFA was 12.4 percent and was higher among women than men (16.9 versus 7.5 percent), with the highest rate seen for women aged 50 to 64 years (21 percent). Men and women reporting being overweight were 19.14 and 11.44 times more likely to meet the criteria for UPF. “Today’s older adults were in a key developmental period when our nation’s food environment changed,” Loch said in a statement. “With other research showing clear links between consumption of these foods and risk of chronic disease and premature death, it’s important to study addiction to ultraprocessed foods in this age group.” Most UPFs are designed to be highly rewarding through combinations of palatable ingredients and additives that enhance flavor and texture [10]. The hyper-rewarding nature of UPFs may make them capable of triggering addictive mechanisms that can increase the propensity for compulsive patterns of intake (i.e. loss of control over intake, intense craving, continued use despite negative consequences) [3, 10]. The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) is the most common measure of UPF addiction (UPFA) [11, 12]. The YFAS applies the diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders (SUDs) (e.g. loss of control over intake, intense craving, continued use despite negative consequences, withdrawal, tolerance) to the intake of common UPFs (e.g. chocolate, salty snacks, sugar-sweetened beverages) [13]. While UPFA is not currently recognized as an official diagnosis, research on this condition has been growing substantially in the past 20 years. A meta-analysis of over 200 studies from around the world estimated the prevalence rate for UPFA to be at 14% for adults based on the YFAS, which is similar to the prevalence rates of other addictive substances such as alcohol and tobacco (14% and 18%, respectively) [12].
