High consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with lower muscle mass in Brazilian adolescents in the RPS birth cohort

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Vol. 79-80; p. 110983
• Main Authors: Viola, Poliana Cristina de Almeida Fonseca, Carvalho, Carolina Abreu de, Bragança, Maylla Luanna Barbosa Martins, França, Ana Karina Texeira da Cunha, Alves, Maria Teresa Seabra Soares de Britto e, da Silva, Antônio Augusto Moura
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Inc 01-11-2020; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adolescents; Asthma; Body composition; Body fat; Body mass index; Body size; Chronic illnesses; Cognition & reasoning; Colleges & universities; Confidence intervals; Dietary intake; Energy consumption; Energy intake; Evaluation; Excess weight; Food; Food composition; Food consumption; Food processing; Higher education; Human capital; Lean body mass; Mental health; Metabolism; Muscles; Nutritional status; Obesity; Processed foods; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Regression models; Schools; Statistical analysis; Teenagers; Ultra-processed foods; Brazil; United States > US; Ultra-processed foods; Adolescents; Food consumption; Excess weight; Body composition
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2020.110983
• EISSN: 1873-1244
• ISSN: 0899-9007

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between percent contribution of ultra-processed foods to total dietary energy intake and measurements of body composition obtained using high-validity methods.
This was a cross-sectional study with 1525 adolescents 18 to 19 y of age from the second follow-up of the 1997/98 São Luís birth cohort, Brazil. To evaluate nutritional status and body composition, the body mass index (BMI)-for-age was used, along with waist circumference, total and android body fat percentage, muscle mass, and the lean mass index (LMI). Food consumption was evaluated by a food frequency questionnaire. Food items were grouped according to the level of processing as per the NOVA classification. Through semi-structured questionnaires, sociodemographic and lifestyle data were abstracted. Adjusted linear regression models were used to evaluate the associations between consumption of ultra-processed foods and body composition measurements.
Total average energy consumption was 2919.7 kcal, with 58% (1634.9 kcal) derived from natural or minimally processed foods and 37% (1136.5 kcal) from ultra-processed products. In the adjusted analyses, BMI, muscle mass, and LMI were inversely associated with consumption of ultra-processed foods. A 1% increase in the percent contribution of ultra-processed items to total dietary energy intake was associated with a 0.04 kg decrease in muscle mass (β = –0.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], –0.06 to –0.02; P < 0.001) and a 0.01 kg/m2 decrease in lean body mass (β = –0.01; 95% CI, –0.02 to –0.01; P < 0.001).
The contribution of ultra-processed foods to total dietary energy intake of Brazilian adolescents was associated with body composition, especially with decreasing lean body mass.
•The findings from this study are unprecedented and help answer questions from the scientific community about the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and overweight among adolescents.•The body composition of Brazilian adolescents was assessed using devices with high-validity methods (air displacement plethysmography measured with the BOD POD Gold Standard, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry).•The increase in ultra-processed foods in the diet of Brazilian adolescents was associated with a decrease in muscle mass, even after adjusting for confounding factors.