Ultra-processed food consumption and the incidence of obesity in two cohorts of Latin-American young children: A longitudinal study

Early introduction of ultra-processed foods is associated with overweight and anaemia in socially vulnerable Brazilian children

“…Our findings show that the early introduction of soft drinks and powder refreshment mixture, foods with a high added sugar content and packaged salty snacks with a high fat and Na content increased the likelihood of children being overweight. The nutritional characteristics (4) of these UPF directly contribute to increased body weight (35,36) , especially in the low-income population (36) , as well as contributing to the adoption of an inadequate eating pattern, which can be perpetuated the rest of the child's life, due to the difficulty of stopping consuming them (24)(25)(26)(27) . The Brazilian infant feeding guidelines recommend that especially at the beginning of food introduction, sugar or products containing this nutrient should be avoided to prevent unnecessary weight gain at this stage of life due to the higher risk of developing chronic diseases related to obesity in adulthood (4) .…”

Cohort Profile Update: 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study－follow-ups from 2 to 6–7 years, with COVID-19 impact assessment

“… 20 At age 4 years, 5.4% of children were classified as obese. 21 Dental caries at age 4 were associated with both prolonged breastfeeding (≥24 months breastfeeding: PR = 1.82) and high consumption of ultraprocessed foods (PR = 1.16), 22 as well as a pattern of increasing sugar consumption between 3 months and 4 years (PR = 1.48 compared with low sugar consumption). 23 …”

Editorial: Dietary practices, food consumption and nutritional status of children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean

“…Food consumption is one of the main factors for the precocious appearance and early onset of nutritional disorders in all their forms, especially anemia and growth retardation, among other non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) ( 10 , 11 ). However, food is considered a modifiable behavioral factor, highlighting childhood as a window of opportunity to promote proper and healthy eating, an investment that can positively impact health throughout life.…”