scholarly journals Ultra-processed food consumption in adults across Europe

Author(s):  
Elly Mertens ◽  
Chiara Colizzi ◽  
José L. Peñalvo

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe ultra-processed food and drinks (UPFDs) consumption, and associations with intake of total sugar and dietary fibre, and high BMI in adults across Europe. Methods Using food consumption data collected by food records or 24-h dietary recalls available from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database, the foods consumed were classified by the level of processing using the NOVA classification. Diet quality was assessed by data linkage to the Dutch food composition tables (NEVO) and years lived with disability for high BMI from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Bivariate groupings were carried out to explore associations of UPFDs consumption with population intake of sugar and dietary fibre, and BMI burden, visualised by scatterplots. Results The energy share from UPFDs varied markedly across the 22 European countries included, ranging from 14 to 44%, being the lowest in Italy and Romania, while the highest in the UK and Sweden. An overall modest decrease (2–15%) in UPFDs consumption is observed over time, except for Finland, Spain and the UK reporting increases (3–9%). Fine bakery wares and soft drinks were most frequently ranked as the main contributor. Countries with a higher sugar intake reported also a higher energy share from UPFDs, as most clearly observed for UPF (r = 0.57, p value = 0.032 for men; and r = 0.53, p value = 0.061 for women). No associations with fibre intake or high BMI were observed. Conclusion Population-level UPFDs consumption substantially varied across Europe, although main contributors are similar. UPFDs consumption was not observed to be associated with country-level burden of high BMI, despite being related to a higher total sugar intake.

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e027546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Rauber ◽  
Maria Laura da Costa Louzada ◽  
Euridice Martinez Steele ◽  
Leandro F M de Rezende ◽  
Christopher Millett ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo describe dietary sources of free sugars in different age groups of the UK population considering food groups classified according to the NOVA system and to estimate the proportion of excessive free sugars that could potentially be avoided by reducing consumption of their main sources.Design and settingCross-sectional data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2008–2014) were analysed. Food items collected using a 4-day food diary were classified according to the NOVA system.Participants9364 individuals aged 1.5 years and above.Main outcome measuresAverage dietary content of free sugars and proportion of individuals consuming more than 10% of total energy from free sugars.Data analysisPoisson regression was used to estimate the associations between each of the NOVA food group and intake of free sugars. We estimated the per cent reduction in prevalence of excessive free sugar intake from eliminating ultra-processed foods and table sugar. Analyses were stratified by age group and adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, survey year, region and equivalised household income (sterling pounds).ResultsUltra-processed foods account for 56.8% of total energy intake and 64.7% of total free sugars in the UK diet. Free sugars represent 12.4% of total energy intake, and 61.3% of the sample exceeded the recommended limit of 10% energy from free sugars. This percentage was higher among children (74.9%) and adolescents (82.9%). Prevalence of excessive free sugar intake increased linearly across quintiles of ultra-processed food consumption for all age groups, except among the elderly. Eliminating ultra-processed foods could potentially reduce the prevalence of excessive free sugar intake by 47%.ConclusionOur findings suggest that actions to reduce the ultra-processed food consumption generally rich in free sugars could lead to substantial public health benefits.


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 2783-2792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscila Pereira Machado ◽  
Eurídice Martinez Steele ◽  
Maria Laura da Costa Louzada ◽  
Renata Bertazzi Levy ◽  
Anna Rangan ◽  
...  

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Rauber ◽  
Maria Laura da Costa Louzada ◽  
Eurídice Steele ◽  
Christopher Millett ◽  
Carlos Augusto Monteiro ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 517-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Naughton ◽  
Barry Drust ◽  
Andy O’Boyle ◽  
Julie Abayomi ◽  
Elizabeth Mahon ◽  
...  

It is recommended that soccer players consume a high carbohydrate diet to augment performance. However, growing evidence suggests that there is a link between high free-sugar (FS) intake (>5% total energy intake; TEI) and metabolic diseases. Furthermore, foods that are often high in sugar, such as processed foods, are typically lacking in nutrient quality. We therefore analysed total-sugar, FS, dietary fibre, and micronutrient intake of players from an English Premier League academy under (U) 18 (n = 13), U15/16 (n = 25), and U13/14 (n = 21) using a 7-day food diary. Data were compared with current United Kingdom (UK) dietary reference value (DRV) for FS via a t test. The U13/14s (10% ± 18%) and U15/16s (11% ± 30%) both consumed higher amounts of FS in comparison with the UK DRV of 5% TEI (P < 0.01); conversely, the U18s did not exceed the DRV (5% ± 13%). Furthermore, FS intake of the U18s was significantly lower than the U13/14s and U15/16s (P < 0.01). Dietary fibre was below the DRV (25 g/day for U13/14 and U15/16s; 30 g/day for U18s) for all squads (19.0 ± 4.7, 19.6 ± 8.3, 17.1 ± 4.2 g/day, respectively), but not different between squads. Additionally, micronutrient reference intakes were generally met. In conclusion, we provide novel data on dietary sugar, fibre, and micronutrient intake within elite youth soccer players. We report an apparent “nutritional transition” from schoolboy to fulltime soccer player, with U18s showing a significantly lower intake of sugar in comparison with younger squads, and a similar intake of FS to the UK DRVs. Practitioners should target improving player education around sugar and fibre consumption.


Author(s):  
Fernanda Rauber ◽  
Kiara Chang ◽  
Eszter P. Vamos ◽  
Maria Laura da Costa Louzada ◽  
Carlos Augusto Monteiro ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to examine the associations between ultra-processed food consumption and risk of obesity among UK adults. Methods Participants aged 40–69 years at recruitment in the UK Biobank (2006–2019) with dietary intakes collected using 24-h recall and repeated measures of adiposity––body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and percentage of body fat (% BF)––were included (N = 22,659; median follow-up: 5 years). Ultra-processed foods were identified using the NOVA classification and their consumption was expressed as a percentage of total energy intake. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of several indicators of obesity according to ultra-processed food consumption. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. Results 947 incident cases of overall obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) and 1900 incident cases of abdominal obesity (men: WC ≥ 102 cm, women: WC ≥ 88 cm) were identified during follow-up. Participants in the highest quartile of ultra-processed food consumption had significantly higher risk of developing overall obesity (HR 1.79; 95% CI 1.06─3.03) and abdominal obesity (HR 1.30; 95% CI 1.14─1.48). They had higher risk of experiencing a ≥ 5% increase in BMI (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.20─1.43), WC (HR 1.35; 95% CI 1.25─1.45) and %BF (HR 1.14; 95% CI 1.03─1.25), than those in the lowest quartile of consumption. Conclusions Our findings provide evidence that higher consumption of ultra-processed food is strongly associated with a higher risk of multiple indicators of obesity in the UK adult population. Policy makers should consider actions that promote consumption of fresh or minimally processed foods and reduce consumption of ultra-processed foods.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Caroline Laranjeira da Silva ◽  
Amine Farias Costa ◽  
Alex Oliveira da Camara ◽  
Lidiane Araújo Cezário ◽  
Ana Luisa Kremer Faller ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Pereira de Araújo ◽  
M Moraes ◽  
V Magalhães ◽  
C Afonso ◽  
S Rodrigues

Abstract Background Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption increases worldwide, which can be harm to population's health. To establish associations between UPF and health outcomes, food consumption can be assessed individually or by using availability data, such as purchase lists or household budget surveys. The aim of this review was to search for studies on the availability of UPF related with mortality and morbidity from noncommunicable diseases or their risk factors. Methods PRISMA guideline was used. Searches were performed on PubMED, EBSCO, Scopus and Web of Science on December 2019. Search strategy included terms related with exposure (UPF) and outcomes (mortality or morbidity from noncommunicable diseases and their risk factors). Studies were selected based on the title and abstracts. Full texts were screened for eligibility and the snowballing method was used to find other relevant studies. To be based on UPF availability data and its relation with health outcomes were the inclusion criteria. Studies that assessed only food consumption at an individual level and did not present health outcome were excluded. Selection was conducted by two reviewers and a third helped when disagreement occurred. Results After duplicates removal, 560 records were analyzed. From the 11 eligible studies, 55% were conducted in more than one country. Others were performed in Brazil (27%), Guatemala (9%) and Sweden (9%). Studies were ecological (64%), cross-sectional (27%) and longitudinal (9%). All had representative samples, 45.5% were national samples, and the others were from particular population subgroups. In all studies, the only health outcomes that showed positive association with UPF availability were overweight and obesity prevalence. Conclusions Studies relating ultra-processed food availability and health outcomes are mainly focused on overweight and obesity. It is thus necessary to further explore the relationship between UPF availability and other health outcomes. Key messages It is necessary to further research association between ultra-processed food availability and other health outcomes, such as morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes or cancer. Purchase lists or household budget surveys are an important source of food availability data and can be used to relate the consumption of ultra-processed foods to health outcomes.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2289 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Belén Ruíz-Roso ◽  
Patricia de Carvalho Padilha ◽  
Diana C. Matilla-Escalante ◽  
Paola Brun ◽  
Natalia Ulloa ◽  
...  

Aim: to describe physical activity and ultra-processed foods consumption, their changes and sociodemographic predictors among adolescents from countries in Europe (Italy and Spain) and Latin America (Brazil, Chile, and Colombia) during the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic period. Methods: Cross-sectional study via web survey. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and weekly ultra-processed food consumption data were used. To compare the frequencies of physical activity status with sociodemographic variables, a multinomial logistic and a multiple logistic regression for habitual ultra-processed foods was performed. In final models, p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Sample of 726 adolescents, mostly females (59.6%) aged 16–19 years old (54.3%). Adolescents from Latin America presented odds ratio (OR) 2.98 (CI 95% 1.80–4.94) of being inactive and those whose mothers had higher level of education were less active during lockdown [OR 0.40 (CI 95% 0.20–0.84)]. The habitual ultra-processed consumption was also high during this period in all countries, and more prevalent in Latin America. Conclusion: A higher prevalence of inactivity was observed in this population, but reductions of physical activity and habitual ultra-processed consumption during the pandemic were more pronounced in Latin America. Our findings reinforce the importance of promoting a healthy lifestyle, i.e., exercise and diet, during periods of social isolation.


The Lancet ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 394 ◽  
pp. S28
Author(s):  
Heather Brown ◽  
Luke Munford ◽  
Anna Wilding ◽  
Tomos Robinson ◽  
Paula Holland ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
André O. Werneck ◽  
Erin Hoare ◽  
Danilo R. Silva

Abstract Objective: To investigate the role of potential shared mediators in the association of TV-viewing and frequency of ultra-processed food consumption with anxiety-induced sleep disturbance. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Data from the Adolescent School-based Health Survey, a Brazilian nationally representative survey of 9th grade adolescents conducted in 2015 were used. Participants: 99,791 adolescents (52,015 girls) with a mean age of 14.3 years (range: 11–19 years) participated. All variables were collected through a self-reported questionnaire based on the Global School-based Student Health Survey. Anxiety-induced sleep disturbance was the outcome. More than 4h/day of TV-viewing and daily consumption of ultra-processed foods were the exposures. Body satisfaction, loneliness, self-rated health and eating while watching TV or studying were mediators. Age, ethnicity, food insecurity, type of city (capital or interior), country region, and physical activity were covariates. Logistic regression and mediation models (Karlsson-Holm-Breen method) assessed associations. Results: Both daily ultra-processed food consumption [boys:OR:1.48(95%CI:1.30-1.70); girls:1.46(1.34-1.60)] and TV-viewing [boys:1.24(1.08-1.43); girls:1.09(1.00-1.19)] were associated with higher odds for anxiety-induced sleep disturbance. Loneliness and eating while watching TV or studying consistently mediated the association of both daily ultra-processed food consumption (loneliness: boys: 17.4%, girls: 23.4%; eat while watching TV or studying: girls: 6.8%) and TV-viewing (loneliness: boys: 22.9%, girls: 45.8%; eat while watching TV or studying: boys: 6.7%, girls: 17.9%) with anxiety-induced sleep disturbance. Conclusions: Daily ultra-processed food consumption and TV-viewing share mediators and can act in synergic mechanisms in the association with anxiety-induced sleep disturbance. Therefore, future interventions should focus in the reduction of both behaviors in combination.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document