Ultra-processed food consumption among infants in primary health care in a city of the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

High consumption of ultra-processed foods among children under 1 year of age was found. Both maternal socioeconomic status and time until the child's first appointment at the primary healthcare unit were associated with the prevalence of ultra-processed food intake.

Breastfeeding reduces ultra-processed foods and sweetened beverages consumption among children under two years old

“…In addition, we observed an elevated prevalence of UPF consumption for all The total was lower for some variables due to missing information children. These results are similar to other studies that evaluated early childhood food consumption in Brazil [10,25]. UPF consumption in the first 2 years of life is not recommended because they normally present an elevated energy density and high levels of sugars, fat, sodium and additives, they are hyper palatable, induce the child to frequent consumption and negatively influence future food preferences.…”

“…The breastmilk intake was associated with lower odds of consuming UPF by children. Some studies reported that breastmilk intake is related to lower consumption of UPF and of sweetened beverages among children between 6 and 12 months [10,15,19]. Our results brings unprecedented data about breastmilk as a long-term protection factor for UPF consumption in the first 2 years, not investigated in previous studies.…”

“…Optimal breastfeeding rates correspond to exclusive breastfeeding until the sixth month of life and to continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age, to contribute to achieve optimal growth, development and health, according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization [8]. Thus, optimal breastfeeding and healthy complementary feeding are associated with social, economic and familial factors and still a challenge in high and middle-income countries, especially regarding the avoidance of early and high consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) [2,9,10]. UPF usually present high energy density and low nutritional quality, and should not be consumed by children under 2 years old, since they are associated with overweight, chronic diseases and micronutrient deficiencies [11][12][13].…”

Ultra-Processed Food Intake and Associations With Demographic Factors in Young New Zealand Children

“…2,3 However, other researchers have identified that the nutrient content of highly processed foods varies widely, 4 and that nutrientdense foods can be found at all levels of processing, 5 indicating that food choices within categories may be important. 4 Limited research to date has indicated that even very young children consume some UPF in infancy 6,7 and early childhood, 8 potentially in substantial amounts. For example, data from Brazil, a developing country where dietary guidelines are aligned with avoiding UPF items, 9 indicates that preschoolers obtain as much as 41.8% of their daily energy from UPF.…”

Dietary intake from complementary feeding is associated with intestinal barrier function and environmental enteropathy in Brazilian children from the MAL-ED cohort study

“…Many of these foods, although fortified with vitamins and minerals, are also rich sources of food additives and considered ultra-processed foods (62,65) . Recent data from studies conducted in Brazilian children have shown that the introduction of ultra-processed foods occurs before the 6th month of life, and about 6 months, the prevalence of ultra-processed foods intake is already 43 % (65–67) . In our study population, most of the mothers offering milk other than breast milk from the first month of life did it as a combined preparation with wheat, oat and rice-based industrialised powder product as previously described (68) .…”