The Results of Ultra-Processed Food Consumption on Weight Change: A Randomized Controlled Community Trial in a Health Promotion Program

Overview

Journal Nutrients

Date 2025 Feb 26

PMID 40004967

Authors

Mariana Souza Lopes

Patricia Pinheiro de Freitas

Aline Cristine Souza Lopes

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the association between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and body weight change after participating in nutritional intervention.

Design: Our study was a 12-month follow-up of participants in a randomized controlled community trial.

Setting: Brazilian Primary Health Care.

Participants: The participants were health promotion services users. Users in the control group (CG) performed the service's usual intervention, while those in the intervention group (IG) additionally participated for seven months in nutritional intervention. Socioeconomic data, self-health, perception of time spent in health promotion services, and weight loss attempts were investigated. Food consumption was obtained by 24 h food recall and categorizing these in quartiles according to the Nova system of food classification. Weight was measured and changes in the 12-month period were calculated by subtracting the weight at follow-up from the baseline measurement.

Results: Of the participants, 88.1% were females aged 56.7 ± 11.8 with 19.7 ± 15.3 months of participation in the service. In the fourth quartile (highest UPF consumption), the % contribution of calories per consumption of UPFs was 47.7%, with no differences between the IG and CG ( = 0.406). Adjusted after 12 months, when comparing those with lower consumption of UPFs (first quartile), individuals from the second, third, and fourth quartiles had positive weight variation. Respectively, these variations were as follows: 0.363 kg (95% CI: 0.038; 0.689; = 0.029); 0.467 kg (95% CI: 0.159; 0.776; = 0.003); and 0.389 kg (95% CI: 0.061; 0.717; = 0.020, with no differences between IG and CG).

Conclusions: The percentage contribution of calories from UPFs was associated with positive weight change, which contributes to the growing evidence of the relationship between UPFs and obesity.

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