ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Ultra-processed foods are industrial products that contain an unbalanced nutritional composition, contributing to a high intake of calories, sugars, fats and sodium. The aim of this study was to evaluate the consumption of ultra-processed foods among adolescents, adults and the elderly. In the city of Teresina, Piauí, adolescents (10 to 19 years old), adults (20 to 59 years old) and elderly persons (≥60 years old) were interviewed. The 24-hour food recall was used to assess food consumption with subsequent replication in 40% of the sample. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni's post-hoc test was used to verify the data, and the value of p<0.05 was adopted as significant. It was observed that adolescents who consumed a greater amount of ultra-processed foods (2nd and 3rd tertile) consumed significantly less grains and legumes. Among adults, it was observed that the tertiles with higher consumption of ultra-processed foods had significantly lower consumption of grains, meat, fruits, vegetables, legumes and eggs. Among the elderly, in the tertiles with higher consumption of ultra-processed foods, there was significantly lower consumption of grains and meat. We conclude that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods contributed to a lower consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
RESUMEN Los alimentos ultraprocesados son productos industriales que contienen una composición nutricional desbalanceada, contribuyendo a un elevado de calorías, azúcares, grasas y sodio. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el consumo de alimentos ultraprocesados de adolescentes, adultos y ancianos. En la ciudad de Teresina, Piauí, se entrevistó a adolescentes (10 a 19 años), adultos (20 a 59 años) y ancianos (≥60 años). Una encuesta recordatoria de 24 h se utilizó para evaluar el consumo de alimentos con una repetición posterior en el 40% de la muestra. Se utilizó el análisis de varianza (ANOVA) con la prueba post-hoc de Bonferroni para comparar los datos y se aceptó como significativo el valor de p<0.05. Se observó que los adolescentes que consumían una mayor cantidad de alimentos ultraprocesados (2º y 3º tercil) consumían significativamente menos cereales y legumbres. Entre los adultos, se observó que los terciles con mayor consumo de alimentos ultraprocesados tenían significativamente menor consumo de cereales, carne, frutas, verduras, legumbres y huevos. Entre los ancianos, en los terciles con mayor consumo de alimentos ultraprocesados, hubo un consumo significativamente menor de granos y carne. Se concluye que el mayor consumo de alimentos ultraprocesados contribuyó al menor consumo de alimentos no procesados o mínimamente procesados.