Investigating the relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and academic performance in the adolescent population: The EHDLA study

Previous research has explored the relationship between diet quality and academic performance in young people, but there is a lack of studies focusing specifically on the impact of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption on adolescent academic performance. This study by López-Gil et al. (2025) aimed to examine the link between UPF consumption and academic performance in a group of adolescents in Spain. This secondary cross-sectional analysis used data from 788 youths aged 12 to 17 participating in the Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities study. The sample consisted of 44.7% boys and 55.3% girls, with a median age of 14 years (IQR: 13–15). UPF consumption was measured through a self-reported food frequency survey, while academic performance was determined using end-of-year grades provided by schools. The analysis revealed significant dose-response associations between UPF consumption and academic performance, with higher UPF consumption consistently linked to poorer academic outcomes. Adolescents consuming higher daily servings of UPF had lower adjusted mean scores for grade point average (GPA), language, math, and English. Specifically, those in the highest UPF consumption group had a GPA of 5.6, compared to 6.6 in the lowest group, with similar differences in language (6.0 vs. 7.0), math (5.2 vs. 6.2), and English (5.7 vs. 6.6). The study highlights a negative relationship between UPF consumption and academic performance in adolescents, suggesting that UPF consumption is a modifiable factor that could influence academic outcomes. Adolescents with higher UPF intake tended to have lower grades across various subjects, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy diet during critical developmental stages. [NPID: Healthy eating habits, NOVA classification, nutrition, school performance, youth]

Year: 2025

Reference: López-Gil, J. F., Cisneros-Vásquez, E., Olivares-Arancibia, J., Yañéz-Sepúlveda, R., & Gutiérrez-Espinoza, H. (2025). Investigating the relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and academic performance in the adolescent population: The EHDLA study. Nutrients, 17(3), 524. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17030524

Related Studies

Dietary habits are associated with school performance in adolescents

Published works point to the links between dietary patterns and poor academic performance, however, a handful of publications investigated this relationship after accounting for confounders. In this study by Kim et al. (2016), the authors investigated the frequency of consuming certain dietary items (namely, soft drinks, fruits, fast food, instant noodles, vegetables, milk, and confections) […]

Evaluating Mediterranean diet adherence in university student populations: Does this dietary pattern affect students’ academic performance and mental health?

Following certain dietary patterns, like the Mediterranean Diet (MD), is postulated to enhance the quality of life, academic outcomes, and the mental and physical health of university students. Antonopoulou et al. (2020) aimed through their study to investigate the evidence on MD fidelity in university students. Through searching databases like Pubmed, the authors observed that […]