Ideal CV health less likely with high ultra-processed food intake
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PHILADELPHIA — An elevated proportion of daily caloric intake from ultra-processed food may confer less than optimum CV health, regardless of age, sex, race, education and poverty, according to findings presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.
Researchers found that a 5% increase in calories from ultra-processed foods was associated with 0.13 points lower CV health score (P < .001). The score was calculated by assigning a value of 0 (poor), 1 (intermediate) or 2 (ideal) to six of the AHA’s Life’s Simple 7 health metrics — BMI, smoking, physical activity, cholesterol, BP and fasting glucose.
Mean usual percentage of calories from ultra-processed foods was 40.5% in the lowest quartile, 51.2% in the second quartile, 59.4% in the third quartile and 70.2% in the highest quartile. Compared with the lowest quartile, the adjusted ORs for optimum CV health were 0.79 (95% CI, 0.75-0.83) for the second quartile, 0.67 (95% CI, 0.61-0.73) for the third quartile and 0.54 (95% CI, 0.47-0.63) for the highest quartile, according to the researchers.
The prevalence of optimum CV health was 36.9% compared with 9.6% for inadequate CV health and 53.5% for average CV health, the researchers found.
Heart-healthy behaviors
“These results combined with other research highlight the importance of heart-healthy behaviors, including eating a healthy diet and getting enough physical activity,” Zefeng Zhang, MD, PhD, an epidemiologist at the CDC, told Healio. “Doctors can encourage patients to limit ultra-processed food intake and to pursue healthy diet plans, such as a healthy eating plan according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020, [which] emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts; is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars; and stays within your daily calorie needs.”
According to the study, the pattern of CV heath in relation to intake of ultra-processed foods was largely unchanged across age, sex and race.
“Americans get more than 50% of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods,” Zhang told Healio. “Measures of cardiovascular health decrease as ultra-processed food consumption rises. Cardiologists can encourage patients to limit the intake of ultra-processed foods.”
Researchers analyzed 13,446 adults aged at least 20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2011 and 2016. Ultra-processed food was categorized based on the NOVA classification, which categorizes foods according to the extent and purpose of food processing, according to the study. Researchers estimated the percentage of daily kilocalories from ultra-processed foods using up to two 24-hour dietary recalls as well as the National Cancer Institute usual intake method to account for measurement error.
Future research
“We are planning to examine the trend of ultra-processed food consumption among children and adolescents, and to assess the association between ultra-processed food and long-term cardiovascular disease mortality in the United States,” Zheng told Healio. – by Scott Buzby
Reference:
Zhang Z, et al. Presentation 174. Presented at: American Heart Association Scientific Sessions; Nov. 16-18, 2019; Philadelphia.
Disclosures: One author reports she received a research grant from the FAPESP São Paulo Research Foundation. Zhang and the other authors report no relevant financial disclosures.