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Consumption of ultra-processed foods and anthropometric indicators in adolescents, adults, and the elderly in a capital city in northeastern Brazil

Consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados e indicadores antropométricos em adolescentes, adultos e idosos de uma capital do Nordeste do Brasil

ABSTRACT

Objective

To evaluate the consumption of ultra-processed foods and associate it with anthropometric indicators in adolescents, adults, and the elderly.

Methods

Cross-sectional, domiciliary, population-based study, comprising adolescents aged 10-19 years, adults aged 20-59 years, and elderly people aged 60 or older, residents of the urban area of the city of Teresina, Piauí. Demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, food consumption, and anthropometric data were collected. The analysis of variance test was used along with the Bonferroni post-hoc test and crude and adjusted linear regression with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The level of significance adopted was 5%.

Results

There was no significant association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and anthropometric variables in adults and the elderly. However, among adolescents, the results showed an inverse association, thus signaling a reduction in anthropometric indicators as the consumption of ultra-processed foods increases.

Conclusion

There was no association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and anthropometric indicators in adults and the elderly; however, among adolescents, the results showed an inverse association, which encourages the development of new studies, especially longitudinal ones.

Keywords:
Adolescents; Adult; Aged; Anthropometry; Processed foods

RESUMO

Objetivo

Avaliar o consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados e associá-lo a indicadores antropométricos em adolescentes, adultos e idosos

Métodos

Estudo transversal, domiciliar, de base populacional, compreendendo adolescentes de 10-19 anos, adultos de 2059 anos e idosos de 60 anos ou mais, residentes na zona urbana da cidade de Teresina, Piauí. Foram coletados dados demográficos, socioeconômicos, de estilo de vida, consumo alimentar e antropométrico. O teste de análise de variância foi utilizado juntamente com o teste post-hoc de Bonferroni e regressão linear bruta e ajustada com intervalo de confiança de 95% (IC95%). O nível de significância adotado foi de 5%.

Resultados

Não houve associação significativa entre o consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados e indicadores antropométricos em adultos e idosos, entretanto, entre os adolescentes, os resultados demonstraram uma associação inversa, sinalizando redução dos indicadores antropométricos à medida que se aumenta o consumo de ultraprocessados.

Conclusão

Não houve associação entre o consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados e indicadores antropométricos em adultos e idosos, entretanto, entre os adolescentes, os resultados demonstraram uma associação inversa, o que incentiva o desenvolvimento de novos estudos, especialmente, longitudinais.

Palavras-chave:
Adolescente; Adulto; Idoso; Antropometria; Alimentos processados

INTRODUCTION

In Brazil, as well as in other economically emerging countries, a change in the pattern of food consumption has been recently observed. This trend includes the replacement of unprocessed or minimally processed foods and culinary preparations derived from these foods, with Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF). At the same time that it allows to meet the population’s increasing demand, the increased processing of food had a great impact on human health and nutrition [11 Juul F, Martinez-Steele E, Parekh N, Monteiro CA, Chang VW. Ultra-processed food consumption and excess weight among US adults. Br J Nutr. 2018;120:90-100. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114518001046
https://doi.org/10.1017/S000711451800104...

2 Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Ministério da Saúde. Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares 2017-2018:primeiros resultados. Rio de Janeiro: Instituto; 2019 [cited 2021 Aug 12]. Available from: https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/livros/liv101670.pdf
https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualiza...
-33 Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares 2008-2009: antropometria e estado nutricional de crianças, adolescentes e adultos do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Instituto; 2010 [cited 2021 Aug 12]. Available from: https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/livros/liv45419.pdf
https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualiza...
].

As for the degree of processing, foods can be classified as in natura (fresh) or minimally processed, those acquired for consumption without having undergone any changes after leaving nature or those that have undergone minimal changes. Processed foods, on the other hand, are products manufactured essentially with the addition of salt, sugar, or other substance for culinary use to an in natura or minimally processed food, which unfavorably alters the nutritional composition of the foods. Meanwhile, UPF have a high degree of industrial processing as well as high energy density, high fat, additives, sugar, and sodium, generally, which are characteristics associated with poor diet quality and excess body weight. Furthermore, UPF have unbalanced nutritional compositions and are deficient in micronutrients compared to unprocessed or minimally processed foods, which in turn are the basis for a nutritionally adequate diet, in qualitative terms [44 Ministério da Saúde (Brasil). Guia alimentar para a População Brasileira. 2nd. ed. Brasília: Ministério; 2014.

5 Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy R, Moubarac J-C, Jaime P, Martins AP, et al. NOVA. The star shines bright. World Nutr. 2016;7:28-40.

6 Louzada MLC, Martins APB, Canella DS, Baraldi LG, Levy RB, Claro RM, et al. Ultra-processed foods and the nutritional dietary profile in Brazil. Rev Saude Publica. 2015;49:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.2015049006132
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.20150...
-77 Louzada MLC, Baraldi LG, Steele EM, Martins APB, Canella DS, Moubarac JC, et al. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and obesity in Brazilian adolescents and adults. Prev Med (Baltim). 2015;81:9-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.07.018
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.07....
].

Individuals who consume large amounts of UPF have a 26% higher risk of being overweight and developing obesity compared to those who consume smaller amounts. The consumption of ultra-processed foods has increased among adolescents, adults, and elderly of both sexes; however, this increase seems to be more expressive among adolescents and adults when compared to the elderly [66 Louzada MLC, Martins APB, Canella DS, Baraldi LG, Levy RB, Claro RM, et al. Ultra-processed foods and the nutritional dietary profile in Brazil. Rev Saude Publica. 2015;49:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.2015049006132
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.20150...

7 Louzada MLC, Baraldi LG, Steele EM, Martins APB, Canella DS, Moubarac JC, et al. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and obesity in Brazilian adolescents and adults. Prev Med (Baltim). 2015;81:9-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.07.018
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.07....

8 Santos JC, Carvalho MA, Pinho L. Consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados por adolescentes. Adolesc Saude. 2019;16: 56-63.
-99 Louzada MLC, Ricardo CZ, Steele EM, Levy RB, Cannon G, Monteiro CA. The share of ultra-processed foods determines the overall nutritional quality of diets in Brazil. Public Health Nutr. 2018;21:94-102. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980017001434
https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898001700143...
].

Taking into account the role of food in controlling or triggering diseases, this study aimed to evaluate UPF consumption and its association with anthropometric indicators in adolescents, adults, and the elderly.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study that is part of a larger research entitled “Population-Based Health Survey (ISAD) in the Municipalities of Teresina and Picos, Piauí (PI) (ISAD-PI)” that evaluated the living conditions and health situation of the urban population in the cities of Teresina and Picos, through home visits.

This study was composed of adolescents aged 10-19 years, adults aged 20-59 years, and elderly people aged 60 or over, of both sexes, from the city of Teresina (PI), Brazil in 2018-2019. Individuals residing in private households were considered eligible. Individuals residing in collective households, pregnant women, and those with any disabilities that made it difficult to apply the questionnaires or to carry out the anthropometric assessment were not included in this study.

For a better understanding of the methodology used in ISAD-PI on sample size, sampling plan and collection of variables, more information can be found in the study by Rodrigues [1010 Rodrigues LARL, Silva DMC, Oliveira EAR, Lavôr LCC, Sousa RR, Carvalho RBN. Plano de amostragem e aspectos metodológicos: inquéritos de saúde domiciliar no Piauí. Rev Saude Publica. 2021;55:e118. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021055003441
https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021...
].

Sample size

Teresina is the capital of the State of Piauí and the city with the highest population density, a factor that was considered when choosing the city included in the research. In addition, the aforementioned city has a campus of the Federal University of Piauí, which made the logistics to calculate the sample size possible. The size of the population of Teresina (767.557) and the number of private households (210.093) were considered, as well as the stratification of the population, according to the age of the individuals to both sexes [1111 Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Censo Demográfico 2010: características gerais da população e dos domicílios, resultados do universo. Rio de Janeiro: Instituto; 2010 [cited 2021 Aug 12]. Available from: https://censo2010.ibge.gov.br/resultados.html
https://censo2010.ibge.gov.br/resultados...
].

The distribution of sample means can be approximated by a normal distribution if n>30 and the population has any distribution; so, to ensure that a minimum of 30 individuals of each age group and both sexes participated in the sample, we estimated the number of households needed for each age group [1010 Rodrigues LARL, Silva DMC, Oliveira EAR, Lavôr LCC, Sousa RR, Carvalho RBN. Plano de amostragem e aspectos metodológicos: inquéritos de saúde domiciliar no Piauí. Rev Saude Publica. 2021;55:e118. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021055003441
https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021...
].

Sampling plan

The study’s sampling plan was carried out by a cluster sampling process, in two stages: Primary Sampling Units (PSU) and households [1111 Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Censo Demográfico 2010: características gerais da população e dos domicílios, resultados do universo. Rio de Janeiro: Instituto; 2010 [cited 2021 Aug 12]. Available from: https://censo2010.ibge.gov.br/resultados.html
https://censo2010.ibge.gov.br/resultados...
]. To facilitate the estimation of the parameters of interest, we defined that 30 PSU in Teresina would be selected with equiprobability.

The second-stage sampling fraction can be written as: b(Mi/Mi)Mi, whereby Mi’ is the number of households in the PSU “i” obtained in the household listing activity carried out in the field. For this study, following the same sampling plan, adolescents, adults and the elderly, from 50% of the households included in the total sample, were systematically selected, forming a representative sub-sample of this population for obtaining a 24-h dietary recall [1010 Rodrigues LARL, Silva DMC, Oliveira EAR, Lavôr LCC, Sousa RR, Carvalho RBN. Plano de amostragem e aspectos metodológicos: inquéritos de saúde domiciliar no Piauí. Rev Saude Publica. 2021;55:e118. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021055003441
https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021...
].

This study was approved by the Ethics and Research Committee of the Federal University of Piauí, under Opinion nº 2.552.426.

Demographic (age and sex), socioeconomic (income, occupation, education background, marital status), lifestyle (alcohol consumption and smoking status), food consumption, and anthropometric data (weight, height, waist circumference) were collected [1010 Rodrigues LARL, Silva DMC, Oliveira EAR, Lavôr LCC, Sousa RR, Carvalho RBN. Plano de amostragem e aspectos metodológicos: inquéritos de saúde domiciliar no Piauí. Rev Saude Publica. 2021;55:e118. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021055003441
https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021...
,1212 Mara R, Dirce F, Marchioni ML. Manual de avaliação do consumo alimentar em estudos populacionais: a experiência do Inquérito de Saúde em São Paulo (ISA). São Paulo: Faculdade de Saúde Pública da USP; 2012.].

Assessment of food consumption

The food consumption was obtained through a 24-hour dietary recall (24HR), using the multiple-pass method [1313 Conway JM, Ingwersen LA, Vinyard BT, Moshfegh AJ. Effectiveness of the US Department of Agriculture 5-step multiple-pass method in assessing food intake in obese and nonobese women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;77:1171-78. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/77.5.1171
https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/77.5.1171...
]. A second 24HR was conducted in 40% of the population, in an interval of two months, making use of the same procedures that were used during the first interview, in order to correct intrapersonal variability. The replication rate was chosen based on the research by Verly-Júnior et al. [1414 Verly-Júnior E, Castro MA, Fisberg RM, Marchioni DML. Precision of usual food intake estimates according to the percentage of individuals with a second dietary measurement. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012;122:1015-20.].

The cooking measurements reported by respondents were transformed in grams (g) or milliliters (mL) based on the study by Pinheiro [1515 Pinheiro ABV, Lacerda EMA, Benzecry EH, Gomes MCS, Costa VM. Tabela para avaliação de consumo alimentar em medidas caseiras. 4th ed. São Paulo: Atheneu; 2005.]. The energy intake was estimated based on the Tables of Food Composition [1616 Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF), 2008-2009: tabela de composição nutricional dos alimentos consumidos no Brasil. Brasília: Instituto; 2011.,22 Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Ministério da Saúde. Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares 2017-2018:primeiros resultados. Rio de Janeiro: Instituto; 2019 [cited 2021 Aug 12]. Available from: https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/livros/liv101670.pdf
https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualiza...
,1717 Philippe ST. Tabela de composição de alimentos: suporte para decisão nutricional. 6th ed. São Paulo: Manole; 2018.]. All foods were presented in kcal and the calorie percentage of ultra-processed food consumption was calculated in relation to the Total Energy Value.

All analyses were performed in the of the Stata software (version 14). Food items reported were categorized according to the NOVA food classification based on the extent and purpose of the processing of the food applied: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods [55 Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy R, Moubarac J-C, Jaime P, Martins AP, et al. NOVA. The star shines bright. World Nutr. 2016;7:28-40.].

Anthropometric assessment

The researchers were standardized for the assessment of anthropometric measurements through training conducted by the Laboratory of Nutritional Assessment of Populations of the Department of Nutrition, University of São Paulo [1010 Rodrigues LARL, Silva DMC, Oliveira EAR, Lavôr LCC, Sousa RR, Carvalho RBN. Plano de amostragem e aspectos metodológicos: inquéritos de saúde domiciliar no Piauí. Rev Saude Publica. 2021;55:e118. https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021055003441
https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2021...
,1818 Ministério da Saúde (Brasil). Saúde Brasil 2010: uma análise da situação de saúde e de evidências selecionadas de impacto de ações de vigilância em saúde. Brasília: Ministério; 2011.]. The Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated by the ratio of the body mass in kilograms to the height in square meters (kg/m2) of the subjects. Nutritional status classification of BMI-for-age for adolescents was performed according to the cutoff point described in Z-score, value adjusted for sex and age (<-3: marked thinness; ≥-3 and <-2: thinness; ≥-2 and ≤+1: eutrophy; ≥+1 and ≤+2: overweight; ≥+2 and ≤+3: obesity; >+3: severe obesity), recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and adopted by the Brazilian Ministry of Health [1818 Ministério da Saúde (Brasil). Saúde Brasil 2010: uma análise da situação de saúde e de evidências selecionadas de impacto de ações de vigilância em saúde. Brasília: Ministério; 2011.,1919 Onis M, Onyango AW, Borghi E, Siyam A, Nishida C, Siekmann J. Development of a WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. Bull World Health Organ. 2007;85:660-7. https://doi.org/10.2471/blt.07.043407
https://doi.org/10.2471/blt.07.043407...
]. The BMI classification for adults was carried out in accordance with the recommendation of the World Health Organization [2020 World Health Organization. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic. Technical Report Series. Geneva: Organization; 2000.]. The value obtained for the elderly BMI was classified according to the values established by Lipschitz [2121 Lipschitz DA. Screening for nutritional status in the elderly. Prim Care. 1994;21:55-67.]. For the descriptive analysis of the nutritional status of individuals according to BMI, we considered the groups of Thinness/Eutrophy and Overweight/Obesity.

Concerning the classification of the adolescents’ Waist Circumference (WC), we used the reference by Taylor et al. [2222 Taylor RW, Jones IE, Williams SM, Goulding A. Evaluation of waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and the conicity index as screening tools for high trunk fat mass, as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, in children aged 3-19 y. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72:490-5.], compatible with the evaluated anatomical point, who were categorized according to the percentile curves, by age and sex [1818 Ministério da Saúde (Brasil). Saúde Brasil 2010: uma análise da situação de saúde e de evidências selecionadas de impacto de ações de vigilância em saúde. Brasília: Ministério; 2011.,2222 Taylor RW, Jones IE, Williams SM, Goulding A. Evaluation of waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and the conicity index as screening tools for high trunk fat mass, as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, in children aged 3-19 y. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72:490-5.]. Regarding the adults and elderly, the WC classification was performed following the WHO recommendations [2323 World Health Organization. Waist Circumference and Waist-Hip Ratio - Report of a WHO Expert Consultation. Geneva: Organization; 2008.].

Statistical analysis

All analyses were performed using the survey module of Stata software (version 14), and, in order for the results obtained to be representative of the total population of the city of Teresina, the complex sample was considered and the value of p<0.05 was adopted as significant. The analyses were performed separately for each age group, adolescents, adults, and elderly.

To compare the UPF consumption according to the demographic, social, and anthropometric categorical variables, the t-test for comparing two groups as well as Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with the Bonferroni post-hoc test for three or more groups were used.

In order to evaluate the relation of anthropometric indicators (BMI and WC) to the percentage of UPF consumption, crude and adjusted linear regression models with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were used. Anthropometric variables were the study outcomes and two crude and adjusted models were built for each dependent variable (Model1: BMI and Model2: WC). The AUP consumption was the main independent variable. The adjustment variables considered were as follows: total diet energy (kcal), sex (male or female), age (years), education (years of education), alcohol consumption (no, never drank; yes, but quit consuming; yes, consumes) and smoking status (smokes or has smoked: yes; no). All adjustment variables were included in the adjusted linear regression simultaneously.

RESULTS

The final sample consisted of 617 subjects, of which 120 were adolescents (19.4%), 365 adults (59.2%), and 132 elderly (21.4%) (Table 1). A higher proportion of female subjects was found among adolescents (56.7%), adults (67.1%), and the elderly (65.9%). Furthermore, most adolescents reported that they did not work (95.8%) and were single (93.9%); among adults, a large number reported that they worked (60.2%) and were married (59.5%); and among the elderly, the majority reported that they did not work (73.3%) and were married (56.5%) (Table 1).

Table 1
Demographic characteristics, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and anthropometric, according to age. ISAD-PI, Teresina (PI), Brazil (2018-2019).

A higher level of education was observed among the adults when compared to the elderly. In general, the majority of elderly (68.9%) had between 0 and 11 years of education, whereas among adults the majority had between 12 and 14 years of education (44.1%) (Table 1).

With regard to anthropometric data, it was observed that overweight was higher among adults (62.7%), followed by the elderly (49.2%) and adolescents (28.3%). When analyzing the WC, it was possible to show that most adults and elderly presented risk classification for cardiovascular disease (Table 1).

Table 2 shows the average percentage contribution of UPFs to the total caloric value - calorie/ day, according to demographic, social and anthropometric variables, in relation to age group. The average percentage contribution was significantly different between adolescents, adults, and the elderly, being higher for adolescents (26.4%) and lower for the elderly (16.2%). In addition, the UPF consumption was significantly higher among adults with more than 14 years of education (p<0.001) and significantly higher among the elderly who do not smoke.

Table 2
Contribution of ultra-processed food (%) to total caloric value per day, according to demographic, social, lifestyle, and anthropometric variables as well as to age group. ISAD-PI, Teresina (PI), Brazil (2018-2019).

Table 3 presents the association of the anthropometric indicators with the percentage of UPF consumption through crude and adjusted linear regression. We observed an inverse association between UPF consumption and anthropometric variables (BMI: β= -0.04; 95% CI= -0.06; -0.01; p=0.002; WC: β= -0.07; 95% CI: -0.11; -0.02; p=0.008) only in adolescents.

Table 3
Association of anthropometric indicators with the percentage of consumption of ultra-processed foods, according to age group. ISAD-PI, Teresina (PI), Brazil (2018-2019).

DISCUSSION

The UPF consumption showed an important contribution to the total energy value of the studied population. Greater availability and low cost contribute to the increase in UPF consumption, which is increasingly accessible to all age groups, especially among populations in the urban area, where there is a regular insertion of these foods in the usual diet [66 Louzada MLC, Martins APB, Canella DS, Baraldi LG, Levy RB, Claro RM, et al. Ultra-processed foods and the nutritional dietary profile in Brazil. Rev Saude Publica. 2015;49:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.2015049006132
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.20150...
,99 Louzada MLC, Ricardo CZ, Steele EM, Levy RB, Cannon G, Monteiro CA. The share of ultra-processed foods determines the overall nutritional quality of diets in Brazil. Public Health Nutr. 2018;21:94-102. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980017001434
https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898001700143...
], a fact that is demonstrated by the similarity in UPF consumption regardless of family income.

The high UPF consumption among adolescents found in this study, in comparison to the consumption among adults and the elderly, corroborates the temporal trends in the consumption profiles of the population. High UPF consumption among adolescents may be related to how frequently they eat out, skip meals or substitute them for industrialized preparations that are easily accessible, such as fast food [77 Louzada MLC, Baraldi LG, Steele EM, Martins APB, Canella DS, Moubarac JC, et al. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and obesity in Brazilian adolescents and adults. Prev Med (Baltim). 2015;81:9-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.07.018
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.07....
-88 Santos JC, Carvalho MA, Pinho L. Consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados por adolescentes. Adolesc Saude. 2019;16: 56-63.].

The high UPF consumption among adults with more years of education found in this study, may be related to several factors. The involvement of advertising when choosing food was addressed in the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population, since education and access to information are interrelated issues, due to the media exploitation, which propagates the practice of UPF consumption, leading consumers to think that processed foods would necessarily be healthier [55 Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy R, Moubarac J-C, Jaime P, Martins AP, et al. NOVA. The star shines bright. World Nutr. 2016;7:28-40.-66 Louzada MLC, Martins APB, Canella DS, Baraldi LG, Levy RB, Claro RM, et al. Ultra-processed foods and the nutritional dietary profile in Brazil. Rev Saude Publica. 2015;49:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.2015049006132
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.20150...
].

We expected to find a significant association between higher UPF consumption and higher BMI and WC. Nevertheless, in adults and the elderly, there was no significant association between UPF consumption and the anthropometric indicators evaluated. Another cross-sectional study conducted in the United Kingdom showed similar results, finding no positive association between UPF consumption and BMI. The authors justify this fact by the joint analysis of the two groups of processed and ultra-processed foods [2424 Adams J, White M. Characterization of UK diets according to degree of food processing and associations with socio-demographics and obesity: cross-sectional analysis of UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2008-12). Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2015;12:160.].

Furthermore, we observed an inverse association between UPF consumption and the anthropometric indicators assessed in adolescents, thus signaling a reduction in anthropometric indicators as the consumption of ultra-processed products increases. Similarly, other studies have also found an inverse association between UPF consumption and BMI levels, where it was observed that adolescents with appropriate BMIs had higher UPF consumption compared to those who were overweight [2525 Viola PCAF, Carvalho CA, Bragan, MLBM, Fran AKT, Alves MTSB, Silva AAM. High consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with lower muscle mass in Brazilian adolescents in the RPS birth cohort. Nutrition. 2020;7980:110983.

26 D’Avila HF, Kirsten VR. Energy consumption from ultraprocessed foods by adolescents. Rev Paul Pediatr. 2017;35:54-60.
-2727 Monteiro CA, Moubarac JC, Levy RB, Canella DS, Louzada MLC, Cannon G. Household availability of ultraprocessed foods and obesity in nineteen European countries. Public Health Nutr. 2017;21:18-26.].

The reverse causality in this study may be associated with possible changes in eating habits and lifestyle, underreporting or omission of food items during the interview. It is also important to consider that adolescents with high BMI levels may be in the process of dietary re-education and, therefore, consuming less UPF. Furthermore, it should be noted that the BMI does not distinguish fat from lean body mass; and, in the case of restrictive diets, the BMI may also decrease due to the reduction of lean body mass [2525 Viola PCAF, Carvalho CA, Bragan, MLBM, Fran AKT, Alves MTSB, Silva AAM. High consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with lower muscle mass in Brazilian adolescents in the RPS birth cohort. Nutrition. 2020;7980:110983.

26 D’Avila HF, Kirsten VR. Energy consumption from ultraprocessed foods by adolescents. Rev Paul Pediatr. 2017;35:54-60.
-2727 Monteiro CA, Moubarac JC, Levy RB, Canella DS, Louzada MLC, Cannon G. Household availability of ultraprocessed foods and obesity in nineteen European countries. Public Health Nutr. 2017;21:18-26.].

In contrast to the findings of this study, UPF consumption was associated with the incidence of obesity in a 9-year follow-up cohort study of adult university students in Spain, and with increased BMI and obesity in cross-sectional studies with representative samples of American and Canadian adults and Brazilian adolescents and adults [11 Juul F, Martinez-Steele E, Parekh N, Monteiro CA, Chang VW. Ultra-processed food consumption and excess weight among US adults. Br J Nutr. 2018;120:90-100. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114518001046
https://doi.org/10.1017/S000711451800104...
,2828 Nardocci M, Leclerc BS, Louzada ML, Monteiro CA, Batal M, Moubarac JC. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and obesity in Canada. Can J Public Heal. 2019;110:4-14. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0130-x
https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0130...
,88 Santos JC, Carvalho MA, Pinho L. Consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados por adolescentes. Adolesc Saude. 2019;16: 56-63.,77 Louzada MLC, Baraldi LG, Steele EM, Martins APB, Canella DS, Moubarac JC, et al. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and obesity in Brazilian adolescents and adults. Prev Med (Baltim). 2015;81:9-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.07.018
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.07....
,2929 Hall KD, Ayuketah A, Brychta R, Cai H, Cassimatis T, Chen KY, et al. Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: an inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake. Cell Metab. 2019;30:1-11.].

This study had some limitations. The present study is cross-sectional, and it is not possible to interpret the associations of cause and effect between the variables, suggesting the need for longitudinal studies. In this sense, possible reverse causality may be associated with changes in eating behaviors and lifestyle or underreporting of information. Another limitation refers to the use of the 24-hour recall, which relies on the interviewees’ memory. In addition, the lack of the physical activity variable to adjust the models is also a limitation.

It is known that in studies of dietary intake assessment, several factors can affect the quality of information, including sex, age, level of education, the individual being concerned with social approval and the individual’s own perception of healthy eating habits [66 Louzada MLC, Martins APB, Canella DS, Baraldi LG, Levy RB, Claro RM, et al. Ultra-processed foods and the nutritional dietary profile in Brazil. Rev Saude Publica. 2015;49:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.2015049006132
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.20150...
,3030 Ferreira-Nunes PM, Papini SJ, Corrente JE. Eating patterns and nutrient intake for older people: analysis with different methodological approaches. Cien Saude Colet. 2018;23:4085-94. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413812320182312.28552016
https://doi.org/10.1590/1413812320182312...
].

Among the strong points of this study, it is worth underlining that the data obtained on UPF consumption corroborate the temporal trends in consumption profiles by the Brazilian population. Therefore, they are consistent with the scientific literature.

CONCLUSION

This study was conducted in a representative sample of adolescents, adults, and elderly people to verify the contribution of the UPF consumption associated with the nutritional status. There was no significant association between the UPF consumption and anthropometric variables in adults and elderly; however, among adolescents, the results highlighted an inverse association, which encourages the development of new studies, mainly longitudinal ones.

The UPF consumption is undoubtedly a public health issue, which, in addition to the negative impact on the nutritional quality of diets, has been associated with excess body weight and the occurrence of diseases. Thus, the importance of monitoring the consumption of ultra-processed products is highlighted as well as the expansion of public policies and governmental actions aimed at reducing UPF consumption in order to promote quality of life to the population.

  • Article elaborated from the dissertation by JM CRISÓSTOMO, entitled “Consumo de Alimentos Ultraprocessados e Excesso de Peso em Adolescentes, Adultos e Idosos: ISAD-PI-Capital”. Universidade Federal do Piauí; 2020.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    08 Aug 2022
  • Date of issue
    2022

History

  • Received
    07 Apr 2021
  • Reviewed
    28 Jan 2022
  • Accepted
    22 Feb 2022
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