Association between ultraprocessed food consumption and obesity in US adults: an analysis of NHANES 2009-2018.

English. Abstract Introduction: We propose the following hypothesis: ultraprocessed foods in the global food supply contribute to the worldwide increase in obesity. Objective: To analyze the association between a higher consumption of ultraprocessed foods and the obesity in adulthood in the United States. Materials and methods: United States National Survey of Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES) (2009-2018) data were used. We included subjects of both sexes, aged between 18-64 years old, with anthropometric, health, income, race/ethnicity and physical activity (PA) data. The association between the ultraprocessed food intake and obesity was calculated using a binomial logistic regression. In addition, we also evaluated a subsample with subjects who did not consume more than their adequate daily energy requirements. Results: We evaluated 13,310 subjects in total, and 4,788 in our subsample. Of these 33% were committed to obesity, and in the subsample the prevalence was even higher, around 49%. In our analysis, we found five factors (ultraprocessed food consumption, sex, age, race/ethnicity, and sedentary lifestyle) that were positively associated with the development of obesity. Compared to subjects who consumed less than 20% of ultraprocessed foods, subjects who consumed between 20 to 40% of ultraprocessed food had 16% more odds of developing obesity [95%CI:1.06-1.26]. For the subsample, the odds were even higher, being around 27% [95%CI:1.11-1.46]. Conclusions: Our results showed a positive association between obesity and the amount of ultraprocessed food consumption, even though, in those who consumed no more than their adequate daily energy requirements.

Spanish; Castilian. Resumen Introducción: La hipótesis planteada es que los alimentos ultraprocesados contribuyen al aumento de la obesidad a nivel global. Objetivo: Analizar la asociación entre un mayor consumo de alimentos ultraprocesados y la obesidad en adultos en Estados Unidos. Materiales y métodos: . Se utilizaron datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Examen de Salud y Nutrición de los Estados Unidos (NHANES) (2009-2018). Se incluyeron individuos de 18 a 64 años de ambos sexos, con datos antropométricos, de salud, ingresos, raza/ etnia y actividad física. La asociación entre la ingesta de alimentos ultraprocesados y la obesidad se calculó utilizando un modelo de regresión logística binomial. Además, evaluamos una submuestra con sujetos que no consumieron más que sus requerimientos energéticos diarios adecuados. Resultados: Evaluamos 13.310 sujetos en total y 4.788 en nuestra submuestra. De estos, el 33% comprometidos con la obesidad, y en la submuestra la prevalencia era aún mayor, alrededor del 49%. En nuestro análisis encontramos cinco factores (consumo de alimentos ultraprocesados, sexo, edad, raza/etnia y sedentarismo) asociados positivamente con el desarrollo de obesidad. En comparación con los sujetos que consumían menos del 20% de los alimentos ultraprocesados, aquellos que consumían entre el 20 y el 40 % de los alimentos ultraprocesados tenían un 16% más de probabilidades de desarrollar obesidad [95%IC: 1,06-1,26]. Para la submuestra, las probabilidades fueron aún mayor, rondando el 27% [95%IC: 1,11-1,46]. Conclusiones: Nuestros resultados mostraron una asociación positiva entre la obesidad y la cantidad de consumo de alimentos ultraprocesados, incluso en aquellos que no superaron sus requerimientos energéticos diarios adecuados.