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Ultraprocessed Food Consumption is Strongly and Dose‐Dependently Associated with Excess Body Weight in Swiss Women
Author(s) -
Pestoni Giulia,
Habib Linda,
Reber Emilie,
Rohrmann Sabine,
Staub Kaspar,
Stanga Zeno,
Faeh David
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.23091
Subject(s) - medicine , waist , obesity , body mass index , odds ratio , abdominal obesity , demography , multinomial logistic regression , odds , excess weight , logistic regression , environmental health , cross sectional study , food group , food consumption , gerontology , weight loss , pathology , machine learning , sociology , computer science , agricultural economics , economics
Objective This study investigated the association between ultraprocessed food consumption and excess body weight in a Swiss nationally representative study. Methods Data stem from the cross‐sectional Swiss National Nutrition Survey menuCH ( n = 2,057). Dietary information was collected with 24‐hour dietary recalls, and food items were categorized into non‐ultraprocessed or ultraprocessed using the NOVA food classification system. The following three excess body weight indicators were considered: BMI, waist circumference (WC), and a BMI‐WC composite outcome. Multinomial logistic regression models stratified by sex were fitted. Results Women in the highest quintile of ultraprocessed food weight proportion had significantly higher odds of having obesity (odds ratio [OR] 3.01, 95% CI: 1.48‐6.11), having abdominal obesity (OR 2.69, 95% CI: 1.43‐5.05), and being in the highest category of the BMI‐WC composite outcome (OR 3.28, 95% CI: 1.59‐6.77). No relevant associations were observed in men. Conclusions Ultraprocessed food weight proportion was strongly and dose‐dependently associated with excess body weight in women but not in men. Further studies are required to elucidate potential mechanisms behind this association. Increasing evidence of the detrimental effect of ultraprocessed food consumption on health stresses the need to consider these products in future public health strategies.