Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jan;21(1):125-133.
doi: 10.1017/S1368980017001161. Epub 2017 Jun 19.

Ultra-processed foods and added sugars in the Chilean diet (2010)

Gustavo Cediel  1 , Marcela Reyes  2 , Maria Laura da Costa Louzada  1 , Euridice Martinez Steele  1 , Carlos A Monteiro  1 , Camila Corvalán  2 , Ricardo Uauy  2
Affiliations

Ultra-processed foods and added sugars in the Chilean diet (2010)

Gustavo Cediel et al. Public Health Nutr. 2018 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the consumption of ultra-processed foods and analyse its association with the content of added sugars in the Chilean diet.

Design: Cross-sectional study of national dietary data obtained through 24 h recalls and classified into food groups according to the extent and purpose of food processing (NOVA classification).

Setting: Chile.

Subjects: A probabilistic sample of 4920 individuals (aged 2 years or above) studied in 2010 by a national dietary survey (Encuesta Nacional de Consumo Alimentario).

Results: Ultra-processed foods represented 28·6 (se 0·5) % of total energy intake and 58·6 (se 0·9) % of added sugars intake. The mean percentage of energy from added sugars increased from 7·7 (se 0·3) to 19·7 (se 0·5) % across quintiles of the dietary share of ultra-processed foods. After adjusting for several potential sociodemographic confounders, a 5 percentage point increase in the dietary share of ultra-processed foods determined a 1 percentage point increase in the dietary content of added sugars. Individuals in the highest quintile were three times more likely (OR=2·9; 95 % CI 2·4, 3·4) to exceed the 10 % upper limit for added sugars recommended by the WHO compared with those in the lowest quintile, after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. This association was strongest among individuals aged 2-19 years (OR=3·9; 95 % CI 2·7, 5·9).

Conclusions: In Chile, ultra-processed foods are important contributors to total energy intake and to the consumption of added sugars. Actions aimed at limiting consumption of ultra-processed foods are being implemented as effective ways to achieve WHO dietary recommendations to limit added sugars and processed foods, especially for children and adolescents.

Keywords: Added sugars; Chile; Energy intake; Food processing; Ultra-processed foods.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Association between the dietary share of ultra-processed foods and the dietary content of added sugars in the diet of the Chilean population aged 2 years or above (2010)* determined by unadjusted restricted cubic spline Gaussian regression analysis (formula image, predicted value; formula image, 95 % CI). *National Nutrition Examination Survey 2010, n 4920
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Monteiro CA, Moubarac J-C, Cannon G et al.. (2013) Ultra-processed products are becoming dominant in the global food system. Obes Rev 14, 21–28. - PubMed
    1. Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy R et al.. (2016) NOVA. The star shines bright. World Nutr 7, 1–3, 28–38.
    1. Moubarac J-C, Batal M, Louzada ML et al.. (2017) Consumption of ultra-processed foods predicts diet quality in Canada. Appetite 108, 512–520. - PubMed
    1. Louzada ML, Martins A, Canella D et al.. (2015) Ultra-processed foods and the nutritional dietary profile in Brazil. Rev Saude Publica 49, 38. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Louzada ML da C, Martins APB, Canella DS et al.. (2015) Impact of ultra-processed foods on micronutrient content in the Brazilian diet. Rev Saude Publica 49, 45. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources