Higher Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) Intake Is Associated with Poorer Overall Dietary Quality Compared to Lower UPF Intake: Results from a Pilot Study †
by
,
Marios Skordis
*
,
Maria Ioannidou
,
Dionisia Sarakini
,
Tereza Santeladze
,
Afroditi Korogiannaki
and
Evaggelia Fappa
Department of Dietetics, Metropolitan College in Collaboration with Queen Margaret University, 10672 Athens, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023, Belgrade, Serbia, 14–17 November 2023.
Proceedings 2023, 91(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091018
Published: 14 November 2023
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023)
Abstract
:Background and objectives: Numerous studies link ultra-processed food (UPF) intake to adverse health outcomes. However, data on the relationship between UPF intake and overall dietary quality are scarce. Therefore, the present analysis aimed to explore possible differences in dietary intake between people with a high UPF intake and those with a low one. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between 12/2022 and 4/2023, in which 113 adults (49.56% females, from 18 to 65 years of age) participated. Dietary habits were evaluated in terms of energy, macronutrients, food variety, and UPF intake using 24 h recalls. Food classification as UPFs was based on their processing using the NOVA system. Self-reported demographic and anthropometric characteristics of the participants were also noted. For the present analysis, participants were grouped into those with a lower (LUPFI) and those with a higher UPF intake (HUPFI), using the median (Mdn) value as a cut-off. Differences between groups were examined, using the chi-square test for qualitative variables, and the independent samples t and Mann–Whitney tests for quantitative parametric and non-parametric variables, respectively. The level of statistical significance was set at 5%. Results: The two groups did not statistically significantly differ in age (p = 0.649) and BMI (p = 0.252). Regarding dietary intake, the LUPFΙ group consumed less energy (Mdn 1686 vs. 2117 kcal, p = 0.009), more protein (18.1 ± 4.2 vs. 15.7 ± 3.9%, p < 0.001), fewer carbohydrates from UPF (11.3 ± 6.9 vs. 26.3 ± 10.0%, p < 0.001), less fat from UPFs (Mdn 6.4 vs. 24.2%, p < 0.001), more food variety (Mdn 11.0 vs. 9.0 foods, p = 0.009), less variety of UPFs (Mdn 3.0 vs. 4.0 foods, p < 0.001), less total and UPF sweet desserts (Mdn 0.0 vs. 1.0, p = 0.022 and p = 0.033, respectively), and less UPF cheese (Mdn 0.0 vs. 0.5, p < 0.001). Discussion: These preliminary results show that higher UPF consumption is associated with a higher energy intake and poorer diet quality, although it does not necessarily translate into worse choices across all food groups. Further research is needed to verify the present findings and to explore the relationship between UPFs and overall dietary intake more thoroughly, as well as to identify those UPFs that actually contribute to a poorer dietary quality.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, M.I., M.S. and E.F.; methodology, M.I., M.S. and E.F.; data collection, M.S., D.S., T.S. and A.K.; formal analysis, M.S. and E.F.; writing—original draft preparation, M.S.; writing—review and editing, M.S. and E.F.; supervision, M.I. and E.F.; project administration, M.I. and E.F. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Metropolitan College (protocol code 2138 and date of approval: 12/12/2022).
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to the fact that these are part of an ongoing study.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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MDPI and ACS Style
Skordis, M.; Ioannidou, M.; Sarakini, D.; Santeladze, T.; Korogiannaki, A.; Fappa, E. Higher Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) Intake Is Associated with Poorer Overall Dietary Quality Compared to Lower UPF Intake: Results from a Pilot Study. Proceedings 2023, 91, 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091018
AMA Style
Skordis M, Ioannidou M, Sarakini D, Santeladze T, Korogiannaki A, Fappa E. Higher Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) Intake Is Associated with Poorer Overall Dietary Quality Compared to Lower UPF Intake: Results from a Pilot Study. Proceedings. 2023; 91(1):18. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091018
Chicago/Turabian StyleSkordis, Marios, Maria Ioannidou, Dionisia Sarakini, Tereza Santeladze, Afroditi Korogiannaki, and Evaggelia Fappa. 2023. "Higher Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) Intake Is Associated with Poorer Overall Dietary Quality Compared to Lower UPF Intake: Results from a Pilot Study" Proceedings 91, no. 1: 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091018
