Objective:
Describing the consumption of Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and their association with the nutritional profiles among users of a health promotion service in a Brazilian city.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Public health promotion service of Primary Health Care in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Participants:
3372 participants
Results:
UPFs were found to contribute to 27.7% of the diet’s total energy. The highest consumption was associated with higher values for energy intake (1561,8 vs. 1331,8 kcal/d; p <0,01), energy density (1,7 vs. 1,4 kcal/g; p <0,01), total (32,5 vs. 27,3 %; p <0,01) and trans fats (2,1 vs. 1,2 %; p <0,01), and sodium (1001,6 vs. 758,9 mg/1000 kcal; p <0,01), and with lower values for proteins (14,9 vs. 19,6 %; p <0,01), mono-unsaturated fats (16,1 vs. 20,1%; p=0,02), omega-3 (0,9 vs. 1,1 %; p <0,01), and some vitamins and minerals when comparing individuals in the last quintile of energy contribution from UPFs in relation to the first one. The prevalence rate of nutrient inadequacy aimed at preventing NCDs increased between 30% and 100% when compared the values of the fifth to the first quintile of UPFs consumption(p<0,001). However, the participants had lower energy intake, energy density and sodium; and higher fiber consumption when compared to Brazilian population.
Conclusions:
Participants showed a high consumption of UPFs, but also positive diet characteristics when compared to the national data. The results suggest the importance of Health promotion services to promote healthy food and the need to include approaches to reduce UPFs consumption.