Association Between 24-Hour Movement Behavior and Cognitive Function in Brazilian Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Findings From the ELSA-Brasil.

Background and Objectives: The relationship between 24-hr movement behavior and specific domains of cognitive function is unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify the joint association of daily time spent in light (light-intensity physical activity [LPA]) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary behavior (SB), and sleep with cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults. Research Design and Methods: Cross-sectional data from Wave 3 (2017-2019) of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health were analyzed. The study included adults aged 41-84 years old. Physical activity was assessed using a waist-worn accelerometer. Cognitive function was examined using standardized tests to assess memory, language, and Trail-Making test. Global cognitive function score was calculated by averaging domain-specific scores. Compositional isotemporal substitution models were performed to identify the association between the reallocation of time spent in LPA, MVPA, sleep, and SB with cognitive function. Results: Participants (n = 8,608) were 55.9% female (mean age 58.9 [8.6] years). Reallocating time from SB to MVPA was associated with higher cognitive function: Reallocating 15 min to MVPA by reducing 5 min from each other behavior was associated with increased odds of better cognitive function in both insufficient (<7 hr/day; odds ratio [OR]: 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.54-0.77) and sufficient (≥7 hr/day; OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.58-0.67) sleep groups. Among those with insufficient sleep, reallocating time to MVPA and sleep from SB was associated with higher global cognitive performance. Discussion and Implications: Small reductions in SB and increments in MVPA were associated with higher cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults.

Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Increased Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Adults: The ELSA-Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: From 2008 to 2010, we enrolled 15,105 adults, aged 35-74 years, who were employees from six public education and research institutions to assemble the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). We used a food frequency questionnaire to assess UPF consumption (measured in grams per day) at baseline. We then assessed the outcomes of those returning to visits between 2012 and 2014 and between 2017 and 2019. We defined incident MetS by the presence of at least three of the following five abnormalities: high fasting glucose level, high triglyceride level, low HDL cholesterol level, high blood pressure, and abdominal obesity, after excluding those meeting such criteria at baseline. We also excluded those who had missing data or an implausible energy intake, leaving 8,065 participants in the study. RESULTS: The median age was 49 years, 59% of participants were women, and the median consumption of UPFs was 366 g/day. After 8 years, there were 2,508 new cases of MetS. In robust Poisson regression, adjusting for sociodemographics, behavioral factors, and energy intake, we found a 7% (relative risk [RR] 1.07; 95% CI 1.05-1.08) higher risk of incident MetS for an increase of 150 g/day in UPF consumption. Similarly, those in the fourth quartile (compared with the first quartile) had a 33% increased risk (RR 1.33; 95% CI 1.20-1.47). Further adjustment for BMI attenuated these associations (for 150 g/day increases in UPF consumption and for the fourth quartile compared to the first one, respectively, RR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.06; RR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.07-1.32). CONCLUSIONS: Greater consumption of UPFs is associated with an increased risk of MetS. These findings have important implications for diabetes and cardiovascular disease prevention and management.

Incidence of excess body weight and annual weight gain in women and men: Results from the ELSA-Brasil cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate annual weight gain and the incidence of overweight and obesity, stratified according to gender and socioeconomic factors. METHODS: From the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil), we included 13 625 women and men aged 35-74 (2008-2010) who attended a follow-up visit after a mean 3.8-years. Standardized questionnaires were used to record sociodemographic data, and height and weight were measured on all participants during in-person visits at research centers. The incidence rate to overweight was calculated among those not having excess weight at baseline, and incident obesity among those not having this condition at baseline. We evaluated the incidence of overweight and obesity in men and women, adjusted by age, through Poisson regression with robust variance. Large annual weight gain by gender was being defined as ≥90th percentile in the cohort. RESULTS: A global incidence of 7.7% for overweight and 10.6% for obesity was observed, with higher levels seen among black woman (28.5%), young men (21.1%) and woman with low educational level (35.0%). The proportions of overweight and obesity increased with age at both time points, more commonly among those with the lowest levels of per capita income and fewer years of schooling. Large annual weight gain was greater among participants with an intermediate level of education and those who self-identified as black. CONCLUSIONS: A high overall risk of becoming overweight/obese was found, especially among women. The roles of race and education level are fundamental to understanding the effects produced by social inequalities in rates of excess weight.