Journal Article

Ultra-processed foods, incident overweight and obesity, and longitudinal changes in weight and waist circumference: the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

Barreto, Sandhi Maria, Chor, Dora, Canhada, Scheine Leite, Fonseca, Maria de Jesus M da, Matos, Sheila Maria Alvim, Molina, Maria del Carmen Bisi, Duncan, Bruce Bartholow, Schmidt, Maria Inês, Levy, Renata Bertazzi, Luft, Vivian Cristine, Giatti, Luana

2020

Overview

To evaluate the association of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption with gains in weight and waist circumference, and incident overweight/obesity, in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) cohort. We applied FFQ at baseline and categorized energy intake by degree of processing using the NOVA classification. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured at baseline and after a mean 3·8-year follow-up. We assessed associations, through Poisson regression with robust variance, of UPF consumption with large weight gain (1·68 kg/year) and large waist gain (2·42 cm/year), both being defined as ≥90th percentile in the cohort, and with incident overweight/obesity. Brazil. Civil servants of Brazilian public academic institutions in six cities (n 11 827), aged 35-74 years at baseline (2008-2010). UPF provided a mean 24·6 (sd 9·6) % of ingested energy. After adjustment for smoking, physical activity, adiposity and other factors, fourth (>30·8 %) v. first (<17·8 %) quartile of UPF consumption was associated (relative risk (95 % CI)) with 27 and 33 % greater risk of large weight and waist gains (1·27 (1·07, 1·50) and 1·33 (1·12, 1·58)), respectively. Similarly, those in the fourth consumption quartile presented 20 % greater risk (1·20 (1·03, 1·40)) of incident overweight/obesity and 2 % greater risk (1·02; (0·85, 1·21)) of incident obesity. Approximately 15 % of cases of large weight and waist gains and of incident overweight/obesity could be attributed to consumption of >17·8 % of energy as UPF. Greater UPF consumption predicts large gains in overall and central adiposity and may contribute to the inexorable rise in obesity seen worldwide.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Adipose tissue / adiposity / Adult / adults / Age / Aged / Body Weight / Body weight gain / Body-Weight Trajectory / Brazil / Chronic illnesses / cities / Correlation analysis / educational institutions / Energy / Energy intake / Family income / Fast Foods - adverse effects / Fast Foods - statistics & numerical data / Female / Follow-Up Studies / Food / Food consumption / Food processing / foods / Gastrointestinal surgery / Humans / Incidence / Longitudinal Studies / Male / Middle Aged / Nutrition Surveys / Nutritional Epidemiology / Obesity / Obesity - epidemiology / Obesity - etiology / Obesity - physiopathology / Overweight / Overweight - epidemiology / Overweight - etiology / Overweight - physiopathology / Physical activity / Population / Processed foods / Questionnaires / relative risk / Research Paper / Risk / Robustness (mathematics) / Software packages / variance / Waist Circumference / weight gain