Time Following a Gluten-Free Diet, Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Quality of Life in Children with Celiac Disease

Abstract

Maintaining a strict gluten-free diet (GFD) may affect the quality of life of children with celiac disease (CD) and promote a less healthy diet by substituting gluten-containing foods with ultra-processed foods. We aimed to assess the influences of the GFD and ultra-processed food consumption on parents’ perception of the quality of life of children with CD. Fifty-eight children (mean age 8.6 ± 4.1 years) were included. The participants were divided into groups based on the time following a GFD: p = 0.010). The mean % of the energy intake from ultra-processed foods was 47.3 ± 13.5. Children with CD consuming more than 50% of their total energy from ultra-processed foods showed poorer scores for the limitation and inadequate treatment (both, p = 0.019) subscales than their counterparts. According to parents’ perceptions, those children who consumed more than 50% of their energy through ultra-processed foods had more limitations, and their treatment was perceived as less effective.

Keywords

• childhood
• celiac
• diet quality
• energy intake
• fast food
• food processing