Abstract
The association between the consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) with overweight/obesity in Chinese adults has not been investigated. This study included a cohort of 12,451 adults aged >20 years who participated at least twice in the China Nutrition and Health Survey (CNHS) during 1997–2011. Food intake at each survey was assessed using a 3-day 24-h dietary recall. Body weight (kg), height (m), and waist circumference (WC) were measured during the survey. UPF was defined by the NOVA classification. Mixed effect logistic regression analyses were used. The mean UPF consumption of the study population (baseline mean age 43.7 years) increased from 12.0 g in 1997 to 41.5 g in 2011 with the corresponding proportion of UPF in daily diet from 1.0% to 3.6%. The adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) for BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 for those with mean UPF consumption of 1–19 g/d, 20–49 g/d, and ≥50 g/d were 1.45 (1.26–1.65), 1.34 (1.15–1.57), and 1.45 (1.21–1.74), respectively (p-trend = 0.015), compared with the non-consumers. Similarly, the corresponding adjusted ORs (95% CI) for central obesity were 1.54 (1.38–1.72), 1.35 (1.19–1.54), and 1.50 (1.29–1.74). Higher long-term UPF consumption was associated with increased risk of overweight/obesity among Chinese adults.
Highlights
The world prevalence of overweight/obesity has tripled in the past four decades and reached 52% in adults aged 18 years in 2016 [1]
While in China, the burden was reached within two decades from 1993 to 2015, to the level of 41% for overweight, 15% for obesity, and 47% for abdominal obesity based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) [2]
Overweight/obesity has a wide spectrum of health consequence including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, and common cancers and poses substantial economic burden in both developing and developed nations [3,4]
Summary
The world prevalence of overweight/obesity has tripled in the past four decades and reached 52% in adults aged 18 years in 2016 [1]. While in China, the burden was reached within two decades from 1993 to 2015, to the level of 41% for overweight, 15% for obesity, and 47% for abdominal obesity based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) [2]. Overweight/obesity has a wide spectrum of health consequence including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, and common cancers (breast, colorectal, prostate, etc.) and poses substantial economic burden in both developing and developed nations [3,4]. The sharp increasing trend of overweight/obesity is in line with the dramatic socialeconomic development observed in China and multidimensional levels of factors has been associated with overweight and obesity in all age groups [6,7]. Urbanization in China has a profound impact on food supply, food preferences, and dietary patterns [8,9]
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