Ultraprocessed food consumption was associated with a higher risk of overweight and obesity in a prospective cohort of Spanish middle-aged adult university graduates. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm our results. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02669602.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and all cause mortality.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingSeguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) cohort of university graduates, Spain 1999-2018.Participants19 899 participants (12 113 women and 7786 men) aged 20-91 years followed-up every two years between December 1999 and February 2014 for food and drink consumption, classified according to the degree of processing by the NOVA classification, and evaluated through a validated 136 item food frequency questionnaire.Main outcome measureAssociation between consumption of energy adjusted ultra-processed foods categorised into quarters (low, low-medium, medium-high, and high consumption) and all cause mortality, using multivariable Cox proportional hazard models.Results335 deaths occurred during 200 432 persons years of follow-up. Participants in the highest quarter (high consumption) of ultra-processed foods consumption had a higher hazard for all cause mortality compared with those in the lowest quarter (multivariable adjusted hazard ratio 1.62, 95% confidence interval 1.13 to 2.33) with a significant dose-response relation (P for linear trend=0.005). For each additional serving of ultra-processed foods, all cause mortality relatively increased by 18% (adjusted hazard ratio 1.18, 95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.33).ConclusionsA higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (>4 servings daily) was independently associated with a 62% relatively increased hazard for all cause mortality. For each additional serving of ultra-processed food, all cause mortality increased by 18%.Study registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02669602.
In this large prospective cohort of Spanish middle-aged adult university graduates, a positive association between UPF consumption and hypertension risk was observed. Additional longitudinal studies are needed to confirm our results.
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the VAMOS strategy (Health-Improving Active Life) in improving physical activity (PA), dietary habits, and anthropometric variables of primary health care (PHC) users in Brazil. A randomized controlled community trial was conducted at two units of the Health Academy Program (HAP; a service provided by PHC), which were randomly assigned either to control group (CG) or intervention group (IG). Participants in both groups (CG = 156 and IG = 135) took part in physical activity classes provided by HAP facilities with those in IG also participating in the VAMOS strategy for 12 weeks. This strategy is based on social cognitive theory. The main behavioral constructs addressed were self-efficacy, goal setting, self-monitoring, identification of social support and barriers, and solutions for the identified barriers. Physical activity was measured with accelerometers, and nutritional status was assessed using dietary habits questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. Intention-to-treat analysis revealed that participants in IG increased the daily time of moderate-vigorous PA and the frequency of raw vegetable intake, while the intake of ultra-processed foods was reduced. Weight loss among participants who were classified as overweight/obese at baseline was observed in the intervention group compared to control. These results suggest that the VAMOS strategy was effective in increasing PA, healthy dietary habits, and decreasing weight among PHC users. Therefore, VAMOS could be used as a strategy to strengthen individuals’ autonomy regarding healthy choices and improve their overall health.
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