Objective: the goal of this commentary is to expose the situation of Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) in Brazil in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a critical analysis of this scenario and suggesting ways to move forward. Results: When COVID-19 arrived in Brazil, a crisis scenario that incorporated economic, social, and political aspects became highly visible. This scenario fostered unemployment, poverty, and hunger. Besides that, it exposed multiple vulnerabilities that were getting worse over the past few years prior to the pandemic. In this context, COVID-19 found in Brazil a fertile ground for its dissemination and community transmission. The impacts of the suspension of many commercial activities and other economic sectors due to the pandemic was quickly felt socially and economically in Brazil. Some of the actions carried out by the Brazilian government included the emergency aid payment and exemption from payment of energy bills for vulnerable individuals, release of funds for programs for the direct purchase of food from family farmers, delivery of school food kits directly to students despite the closure of schools and publication of sanitary rules for the operation of restaurants. However, these actions are still insufficient, slow and not sufficiently coordinated to contain the progress of the food and nutritional insecurity crisis in Brazil. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgency for the Brazilian government to again prioritize the FNS agenda. This includes implementing mechanisms to ensure the Human Right to Adequate Food and expanding existing FNS programs.

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Objective: To evaluate the association of the consumption of foods of the ultra-processed group (UPF) with inflammatory markers in the adolescent population in Northeastern Brazil. Design: A cross-sectional population-based study. Food consumption was evaluated using two 24-h dietary recalls using the NOVA classification for food processing levels. The following inflammatory markers were evaluated: adiponectin, IL-6, IL-8, C-reactive protein (CRP) and TNF-α. Multivariate linear regression was used to investigate the association between the percentage of UPF energy contribution and inflammatory markers. Setting: São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil. Participants: The sample consisted of 391 male and female adolescents, aged from 17 to 18 years. Results: The average daily energy consumption by adolescents was 8032·9 kJ/d, of which 26·1 % originated from UPF. The upper tertile (T3) of UPF consumption presented higher intake of simple carbohydrates, lipids, saturated fat, and Na and lower protein intake. Individuals in T3 presented higher serum leptin and CRP levels (P < 0·05). Adolescents with UPF energy consumption ≥30·0 % (tertile 3 of UPF) had a 79 % (exp (0·58) = 1·79) increase in IL-8 levels when compared with adolescents in tertile 1 of UPF (P = 0·013). Conclusions: The association between the consumption of UPF, poor quality diet and pro-inflammatory markers have important harmful effects that can be observed as early as in adolescence.

Resumo O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar os fatores sociodemográficos, maternos e do recém-nascido associados à mortalidade perinatal em São Luís, Maranhão. Os óbitos perinatais foram identificados na coorte e pelo Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade. Foram incluídos 5.236 nascimentos, sendo 70 óbitos fetais e 36 neonatais precoces. Para investigar os fatores associados utilizou-se análise de regressão logística com modelo hierarquizado. O coeficiente de mortalidade perinatal foi 20,2 por mil nascimentos. A baixa escolaridade materna e a ausência de companheiro foram associadas a maior chance de óbito perinatal. A família ser chefiada por outros familiares foi fator de proteção. Tiveram maior chance de óbito perinatal filhos de mães que não realizaram pelo menos seis consultas de pré-natal (OR=4,61; IC95%:2,43-8,74) e com gravidez múltipla (OR=9,15; IC95%:4,08-20,53). Presença de malformações congênitas (OR=4,13; IC95%:1,23-13,82), nascimento pré-termo (OR= 3,36; IC95%: 1,56-7,22) e baixo peso ao nascer (BPN) (OR=11,87; IC95%:5,46-25,82) se associaram ao óbito perinatal. A mortalidade perinatal foi associada à vulnerabilidade social, não realização do número de consultas pré-natal recomendado, malformações congênitas, nascimento pré-termo e BPN.

Objectives: To assess the inflammatory potential of the Brazilian population’s diet and its association with demographic, socioeconomic, and anthropometric characteristics. Methods: Cross-sectional study performed with 34,003 individuals aged 10 and older, evaluated by the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (INA) from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (POF 2008-2009). The Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DIITM) was determined using 34 dietary parameters calculated through non-consecutive 2-day dietary records. Positive scores indicate a pro-inflammatory diet, while negative scores indicate an anti-inflammatory diet. A bivariate and multivariate linear regression analysis based on a hierarchical theoretical model was performed to verify the factors associated with the E-DII. Results: The mean of the E-DII was 1.04, with a range of -4.77 to +5.98. The highest values of the pro-inflammatory E-DII were found among adolescents (1.42; p-value<0.001) and individuals with higher income (1.10; p-value<0.001) and level of education (1.18; p-value<0.001). In the final model, the E-DII was associated with higher income quartiles, was higher in the Northeast and South regions, in white people, individuals with ≥9 years of education and adults and adolescents age group. Conclusion: The Brazilian population consumes a diet with high inflammatory potential, especially adolescents, white people and those with higher income and level of education. Thus, the index presented uneven distribution among the population, emphasizing groups with higher dietary inflammatory potential. The socioeconomic risk profile of a diet with higher inflammatory potential in medium-income countries is different from what is observed in high-income nations.