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Vale C, Almeida C, Azevedo J, Padrão P. Nutrient profile of packaged foods according to the degree of processing. Int J Food Sci Nutr 2024; 75:148-158. [PMID: 38186325 DOI: 10.1080/09637486.2023.2299771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
An increased consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) leads to a rising prevalence of chronic noncommunicable diseases. This study aims to characterise the nutrient profile of white-label pre-packaged foods and bakery products available in a market leader Portuguese food retail chain, according to the extent of processing proposed by NOVA classification system. The nutrient profile (energy, sugar, total fat, saturated fat and sodium) according to processing degree was analysed using non-parametric tests. UPF were the most energy dense (278 kcal/100 g, p < .001) and the highest in sugar (15.9 g/100 g, p < .001). Processed foods were the highest in sodium (538 mg/100 g, p < .001). Processed and UPF showed significantly higher total (12.4 and 10.8 g/100 g, respectively) and saturated fat content (6.10 and 4.61 g/100 g, respectively) than unprocessed/minimally processed foods (p < .001). Regarding the variation of the nutritional value across the extent of processing, different results were observed for some categories suggesting the importance of a stratified analysis. The consumption of less processed foods and the manufacture of processed/UPF with better nutrient profile should be promoted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Vale
- Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carla Almeida
- Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal
| | - José Azevedo
- EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal
- Faculdade de Letras de Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Padrão
- Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, Portugal
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Ribeiro IDC, Santos de Almeida Oliveira TLP, Santos GCJ, Nobre IG, Dos Santos RM, Rodrigues CPS, Dos Santos Costa MV, Damasceno MCM, Ferreira E Silva WT, Leandro CG. Daily consumption of ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic risk factors in children aged 7 to 10 years in Northeast Brazil. Nutr Health 2023; 29:557-565. [PMID: 35253501 DOI: 10.1177/02601060221084816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) consumption is associated with pediatric overweight and obesity. Aim: To evaluate the UPFs consumption in children classified either as eutrophic or with excess weight (overweight and obesity). It was also described the fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and the correlation between UPFs consumption and cardiometabolic risk factors. Methods: A total of 139 children aged 7-10years of both sexes, living in Northeast Brazil were classified as eutrophic (n = 65) or excess weight (n = 62). Waist circumference (WC), percentage of body fatness (% BF), fat-free-mass and fat mass were evaluated. Fasting blood sample were collected for biochemical analysis. Food consumption was classified according to the degree of processing. Results: Children with excess weight had a reduction in plasma HDL concentration (45.00; IQR:36.00-54.50 mg/dL vs. 40.00; IQR:35.75-45.25 mg/dL; p = 0.021) and an increase in blood glucose (82.00; IQR:79.00-86.00 mg/dL vs. 86.00; IQR:81.00-90.00 mg/dL; p < 0.001) and TG (64.00; IQR:45.00-92.50 mg/dL vs. 81.00; IQR:57.50-111.75 mg/dL; p < 0.021) when compared with the eutrophic children. UPFs accounted for 43.43% of the total calories consumed by children. Children with excess weight had higher total energy consumption resulting from consumption of UPFs (714.30 ± 26.32 kcal vs. 848.06 ± 349.46 kcal; p = 0.011). The absolute consumption of the UPFs showed a positive correlation with WC (r = 0.202; p = 0.023) and %BF (r = 0.198; p = 0.026). Conclusion: UPFs consumption was higher for children with excess weight and positively correlated with two cardiometabolic risk factors, suggesting the need for strengthening public policies that discourage the consumption of these foods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Isabele Góes Nobre
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Carol Góis Leandro
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
- Department of Nutrition, CAV, Federal University of Pernambuco, Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil
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Valicente VM, Peng CH, Pacheco KN, Lin L, Kielb EI, Dawoodani E, Abdollahi A, Mattes RD. Ultraprocessed Foods and Obesity Risk: A Critical Review of Reported Mechanisms. Adv Nutr 2023; 14:718-738. [PMID: 37080461 PMCID: PMC10334162 DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Epidemiologic evidence supports a positive association between ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption and body mass index. This has led to recommendations to avoid UPFs despite very limited evidence establishing causality. Many mechanisms have been proposed, and this review critically aimed to evaluate selected possibilities for specificity, clarity, and consistency related to food choice (i.e., low cost, shelf-life, food packaging, hyperpalatability, and stimulation of hunger/suppression of fullness); food composition (i.e., macronutrients, food texture, added sugar, fat and salt, energy density, low-calorie sweeteners, and additives); and digestive processes (i.e., oral processing/eating rate, gastric emptying time, gastrointestinal transit time, and microbiome). For some purported mechanisms (e.g., fiber content, texture, gastric emptying, and intestinal transit time), data directly contrasting the effects of UPF and non-UPF intake on the indices of appetite, food intake, and adiposity are available and do not support a unique contribution of UPFs. In other instances, data are not available (e.g., microbiome and food additives) or are insufficient (e.g., packaging, food cost, shelf-life, macronutrient intake, and appetite stimulation) to judge the benefits versus the risks of UPF avoidance. There are yet other evoked mechanisms in which the preponderance of evidence indicates ingredients in UPFs actually moderate body weight (e.g., low-calorie sweetener use for weight management; beverage consumption as it dilutes energy density; and higher fat content because it reduces glycemic responses). Because avoidance of UPFs holds potential adverse effects (e.g., reduced diet quality, increased risk of food poisoning, and food wastage), it is imprudent to make recommendations regarding their role in diets before causality and plausible mechanisms have been verified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicius M Valicente
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Ching-Hsuan Peng
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Kathryn N Pacheco
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Luotao Lin
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Elizabeth I Kielb
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Elina Dawoodani
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Afsoun Abdollahi
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Richard D Mattes
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States.
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Maternal sociodemographic factors and their association with ultra-processed foods consumption among children. J Public Health (Oxf) 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10389-022-01809-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
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Nutritional adequacy of commercial food products targeted at 0–36-month-old children: a study in Brazil and Portugal. Br J Nutr 2022; 129:1984-1992. [PMID: 35979684 DOI: 10.1017/s0007114522002707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In the context of the global childhood obesity, it is essential to monitor the nutrition value of commercial foods. A cross-sectional study (November 2018 to April 2019) aimed to evaluate the nutritional adequacy of processed/ultra-processed food products targeted at 0–36-month-old children in Portugal and in Brazil. The nutrient profiling model developed by the Pan American Health Organization was used. A total of food 171 products were assessed (123 in Portugal and forty eight in Brazil). From the fifteen available meat- or fish-based meals in Brazil, 60 % exceeded the amount of Na and 100 % exceeded the target for total fat. Given the lack of specification of sugars within carbohydrates in the label of the foods in Brazil, it was not possible to calculate free sugars. In Portugal, from the seventeen fruit and vegetable purees and the six juice/smoothie/tea/drinks available, 82 % and 67 %, respectively, surpassed the level of free sugar, while total and saturated fat was excessive in all yogurt and yogurt-related products (n 21), 40 % of biscuit/wafer/crisps (two out of five) and 13 % meat- or fish-based meals (two out of sixteen). These findings demonstrate the relevance of improving the nutritional profile of some food products targeted to young children.
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Abstract
Dramatically increasing trends in consumption of ultra-processed foods have been reported across the globe. Public concern about the health consequences of ultra-processed foods is high. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review of trends in global consumption of ultra-processed foods, dietary nutrient profile of ultra-processed foods, demographic, socioeconomic, psychological, and behavioral characteristics of ultra-processed food consumers, current evidence from longitudinal studies at the population level on the association between ultra-processed foods consumption and major health outcomes (including all-cause and cause-specific mortality, cardiovascular disease, overweight and obesity, body composition and fat deposition, diabetes, cancer, and gastrointestinal and other diseases), potential mechanisms linking ultra-processed foods with these outcomes (nutrient displacement, factors that influence adiposity, and processing), and challenges and future research directions. The global trends in consumption of ultra-processed foods, the generally unfavorable nutrient profile of ultra-processed foods, the characteristics of ultra-processed food consumers, the accumulating longitudinal studies associating ultra-processed foods with major health outcomes, and the uncertainties and complexities in putative mechanisms all highlight the need for future high-quality epidemiologic and mechanistic investigations on this topic. It is critical to interpret findings in the light of the totality of evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Zhang
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Edward L Giovannucci
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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de Araújo CRB, Ribeiro KDDS, de Oliveira AF, de Morais IL, Breda J, Padrão P, Moreira P. Degree of processing and nutritional value of children's food products. Public Health Nutr 2021; 24:5977-5984. [PMID: 34494515 PMCID: PMC11096954 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980021003876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to characterise the availability, the nutritional composition and the processing degree of industrial foods for 0-36-month-old children according to the neighbourhoods affluence. DESIGN A cross-sectional exploratory study. SETTING All food products available in retail stores for children aged 0-36 months were analysed. Data collection took place in two neighbourhoods, comparing two different sociodemographic districts (high v. low per capita income), Campanhã and Foz do Douro in Porto, Portugal. PARTICIPANTS A total of 431 commercially processed food products for children aged 0-36 months which are sold in 23 retail stores were identified. Food products were classified according to their processing degree using the NOVA Food Classification System. RESULTS For NOVA analysis, of the 244 food products that were included 82 (33·6 %) were minimally processed, 25 (10·2 %) processed and 137 (56·1 %) ultra processed. No food product was classified as a culinary ingredient. The products included mostly cereals, yogurts, prevailed in high-income neighbourhoods for the 0-6-month-old group. It was observed that some categories of ultra-processed food (UPF) presented higher amounts of energy, sugars, saturated fat and salt than unprocessed/minimally processed products. CONCLUSIONS The high availability of UPF offered for 0-36-month-old children should be considered when designing interventions to promote a healthy diet in infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célia Regina Barbosa de Araújo
- Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Departmento de Nutritição, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Avenida Senador Salgado Filho, 59.078-970, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Karla Danielly da S Ribeiro
- Departmento de Nutritição, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Avenida Senador Salgado Filho, 59.078-970, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Amanda Freitas de Oliveira
- Departmento de Nutritição, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Avenida Senador Salgado Filho, 59.078-970, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | | | - João Breda
- Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Patrícia Padrão
- Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- EPI Unit, Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Moreira
- Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- EPI Unit, Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Centro de Investigação em Actividade Física, Saúde e Lazer, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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