Association of the degree of food processing with the consumption of nutrients and blood pressure

Abstract

There are many causes for hypertension, but among the modifiable factors, inadequate lifestyle is related to the higher prevalence of the disease. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the association between macro and micronutrient intake and blood pressure levels with the degree of food processing. Sixty-four adults from the rural area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil were evaluated. Food consumption was assessed by a dietary recall using AVANUTRI Software, and the foods consumed were classified into three groups: in natura or minimally processed, processed and ultra-processed. Blood pressure was measured using an automatic inflation monitor. The data were analyzed in the Stata Software by means of the Student's T test. Most of the sample consisted of female adults (64.1%) and the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 122.8 mmHg (±17.1) and 77.7 mmHg (±10.9), respectively. The group of in natura or minimally processed food was responsible for the largest contribution (85.2%) of the average caloric intake (1,793.1 kcal/ day), while the consumption of ultra-processed foods was only 7.7%. In addition, there was a higher intake of carbohydrate, lipid, cholesterol, polyunsaturated fat, vitamin E, potassium and sodium among individuals who consumed only in natura or minimally processed foods. Individuals who did not consume ultra-processed foods had higher intakes of vitamin E and sodium. It was concluded that there was an association between the degree of food processing and nutrient intake, however, no association was found among blood pressure levels.

A Systematic Review of Worldwide Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods: Findings and Criticisms

“…Regarding the variability within the same country, Brazil showed levels of UPF consumption ranging from 7.7% in 64 subjects aged 25–57 years [ 57 ] to 51.2% of total energy intake in over 4200 subjects [ 58 ]. A lower variability was identified in studies performed in the United States, with levels of intake ranging from 50% to 70%, with the only exception being a study observing an energy intake of 35.5% in almost 92,000 subjects aged 55–74 years [ 59 ].…”

A Systematic Review on Processed/Ultra-Processed Foods and Arterial Hypertension in Adults and Older People

“…The nine articles selected were published in the last five years (2017 to 2021) and were conducted in seven countries of the Americas and two in Europe: Brazil ( n = 3) [ 2 , 19 , 20 ], USA ( n = 2) [ 21 , 22 ], Canada ( n = 1) [ 3 ], Mexico ( n = 1) [ 23 ] and Spain ( n = 2) [ 1 , 24 ]. The objective of the studies and dietary component analyzed are displayed in Table 1 .…”

“…Six studies had samples composed only of adults [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 19 , 21 , 23 ] and three had sample composed of adults and older people [ 20 , 22 , 24 ]. One study only evaluated women [ 23 ].…”

“…A total of 114,849 individuals participated in the nine studies. Five of the studies had a cross-sectional design [ 3 , 19 , 21 , 22 , 24 ] and four were cohort studies [ 1 , 2 , 20 , 23 ] ( Table 2 ). The average duration of the cohort studies was 3.5 years.…”

“…No studies analyzed PFs alone. The average daily caloric contribution ranged from 6.2 to 9.9% for PFs and from 7.7% [ 19 ] to 55.5% [ 22 ] for UPFs. American and Canadian populations had the highest consumption of UPFs.…”