Article type
Abstract
"Background: Recently, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have attracted considerable attention, leading to numerous studies worldwide. Scientometrics is currently gaining popularity among scientific communities, offering advantage of providing critical references to scholars of specific fields.
Objective: This scientometric study aimed to analyze trends and hotspots of UPF research.
Methods: English articles or reviews related to UPFs were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on March 5, 2023. Two independent researchers selected the identified records on titles, abstracts, and author’s keywords, and the data were analyzed using R-bibliometrix, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer.
Results: A total of 1018 publications (901articles and 117 reviews) published from 2010 to 2023 were included. The result showed a significant increase in UPF publications over the past decades. Brazil published the highest number of papers (n = 473), with over half of the top 10 active institutions were located in Brazil. The University of São Paulo contributed the most publications (n = 206) and the 10 most productive authors belonged to this institution, with Monteiro CA and Levy RB contributing the most publications. The main research foundations included the NOVA
system, the definition of UPFs, the prevalence of UPFs, and the impact of UPFs on dietary quality and health status. The main research frontiers included topics such as “systematic review,”“NOVA food classification,”“COVID-19,”“diabetes,”“pregnancy,”“food addiction,” “warning labels,” “plant-based diet,” and “commercial determinants of health ” (Figure 1).
Conclusions: This study provided a comprehensive overview of development trends and research hotspots of global UPF studies.
"
Objective: This scientometric study aimed to analyze trends and hotspots of UPF research.
Methods: English articles or reviews related to UPFs were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on March 5, 2023. Two independent researchers selected the identified records on titles, abstracts, and author’s keywords, and the data were analyzed using R-bibliometrix, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer.
Results: A total of 1018 publications (901articles and 117 reviews) published from 2010 to 2023 were included. The result showed a significant increase in UPF publications over the past decades. Brazil published the highest number of papers (n = 473), with over half of the top 10 active institutions were located in Brazil. The University of São Paulo contributed the most publications (n = 206) and the 10 most productive authors belonged to this institution, with Monteiro CA and Levy RB contributing the most publications. The main research foundations included the NOVA
system, the definition of UPFs, the prevalence of UPFs, and the impact of UPFs on dietary quality and health status. The main research frontiers included topics such as “systematic review,”“NOVA food classification,”“COVID-19,”“diabetes,”“pregnancy,”“food addiction,” “warning labels,” “plant-based diet,” and “commercial determinants of health ” (Figure 1).
Conclusions: This study provided a comprehensive overview of development trends and research hotspots of global UPF studies.
"