Table 1.
Age and sex adjusted* baseline characteristics of participants according to consumption of ultra-processed foods (1999-2014). Values are means (standard deviations) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Quarters of energy adjusted ultra-processed food consumption | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First (<2 servings/day) (n=4975) | Second (2-<3 servings/day) (n=4975) | Third (3-≤4 servings/day) (n=4975) | Fourth (>4 servings/day) (n=4974) | |
| Ultra-processed foods (servings/day) | 1.4 (0.8) | 2.7 (0.2) | 3.5 (0.3) | 5.3 (1.4) |
| Body mass index | 23.3 (3.4) | 23.5 (3.5) | 23.6 (3.7) | 23.8 (3.7) |
| Married | 2520 (50.8) | 2487 (50.4) | 2481 (50.0) | 2505 (49.6) |
| Educational level (No (%)): | ||||
| Graduate | 4192 (84.6) | 4047 (82.0) | 4019 (81.1) | 4084 (80.9) |
| Postgraduate | 328 (6.6) | 385 (8.0) | 412 (8.3) | 417 (8.3) |
| Doctorate | 435 (8.8) | 506 (10.3) | 525 (10.6) | 549 (10.9) |
| Smoking status (No (%)): | ||||
| Current | 1141 (23.0) | 1194 (24.2) | 1231 (24.8) | 1426 (28.3) |
| Former | 1313 (26.5) | 1265 (25.6) | 1203 (24.3) | 1215 (24.1) |
| Family history of CVD (No (%)) | 667 (13.5) | 684 (13.9) | 679 (13.7) | 802 (15.9) |
| Conditions at baseline (No (%)): | ||||
| Cancer | 173 (3.5) | 159 (3.2) | 170 (3.4) | 224 (4.4) |
| Diabetes | 98 (2.0) | 91 (1.8) | 100 (2.1) | 116 (2.3) |
| Hypertension | 935 (18.8) | 980 (19.9) | 975 (19.7) | 1148 (22.7) |
| Hypercholesterolaemia | 856 (17.3) | 840 (17.0) | 854 (17.2) | 898 (17.8) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 76 (1.5) | 73 (1.5) | 78 (1.6) | 122 (2.4) |
| Depression | 535 (10.8) | 553 (11.2) | 594 (12.0) | 677 (13.4) |
| Following a special diet (No (%)) | 423 (8.5) | 415 (8.4) | 407 (8.2) | 366 (7.2) |
| Snacking (No (%)) | 1461 (29.5) | 1527 (30. 9) | 1677 (33.8) | 2139 (42.4) |
| Sedentary activities: | ||||
| Television viewing (≥3 h/day) | 340 (6.9) | 359 (7.3) | 407 (8.2) | 530 (10.5) |
| Computer use (h/day) | 2.0 (1.9) | 2.1 (1.9) | 2.1 (1.9) | 2.2 (2.0) |
| Driving (h/day) | 0.9 (1.1) | 0.9 (1.1) | 0.9 (1.1) | 0.9 (1.1) |
| Napping (h/day) | 0.3 (0.7) | 0.3 (0.8) | 0.3 (0.8) | 0.4 (0.8) |
| Sedentary index† (h/day) | 4.5 (2.8) | 4.6 (2.8) | 4.7 (2.6) | 4.9 (2.8) |
| Physical activity (MET hours weekly) | 30.8 (27.6) | 27.1 (23.0) | 25.5 (22.0) | 25.2 (23.8) |
| Adherence to Mediterranean diet (0-9 score) | 5.1 (1.7) | 4.3 (1.7) | 3.8 (1.7) | 3.6 (1.7) |
| Total energy intake (kcal/day) | 2799 (764.3) | 2338 (693.1) | 2299 (714.7) | 2632 (873.0) |
| Macronutrients intake (% energy): | ||||
| Carbohydrate | 44.6 (7.9) | 42.9 (7.3) | 42.8 (7.0) | 43.6 (7.5) |
| Protein | 18.1 (3.4) | 18.6 (3.3) | 18.3 (3.1) | 16.9 (3.1) |
| Fat: | 35.3 (7.2) | 36.4 (6.4) | 37.0 (6.0) | 37.5 (6.5) |
| SFAs | 11.5 (3.4) | 12.3 (3.0) | 12.8 (3.0) | 13.2 (3.2) |
| MUFAs | 15.6 (4.1) | 15.8 (3.7) | 15.7 (3.4) | 15.6 (3.5) |
| PUFAs | 5.0 (1.6) | 5.1 (1.5) | 5.3 (1.5) | 5.4 (1.7) |
| Total dietary fibre intake (g/day) | 37.9 (17.1) | 28.6 (11.5) | 26.0 (11.0) | 26.5 (12.7) |
| Alcohol consumption (g/day) | 7.5 (12.0) | 6.6 (9.5) | 6.0 (9.5) | 7.3 (12.3) |
| Olive oil (g/day) | 22.5 (17.5) | 15.9 (13.2) | 13.2 (11.9) | 12.7 (12.1) |
| Food consumption (servings/day): | ||||
| Fruit | 4.3 (3.2) | 2.9 (2.0) | 2.5 (1.8) | 2.4 (1.9) |
| Vegetables | 3.5 (2.2) | 2.8 (1.4) | 2.5 (1.3) | 2.4 (1.5) |
| Fast food‡ | 0.1 (0.1) | 0.2 (0.2) | 0.2 (0.2) | 0.2 (0.2) |
| Fried food | 0.5 (0.7) | 0.5 (0.6) | 0.5 (0.6) | 0.6 (0.7) |
| Red meat | 0.6 (0.4) | 0.6 (0.3) | 0.5 (0.3) | 0.5 (0.3) |
| Processed meat§ | 0.5 (0.5) | 0.6 (0.4) | 0.8 (0.5) | 1.0 (0.8) |
| Sugar sweetened beverages | 0.1 (0.2) | 0.2 (0.3) | 0.3 (0.4) | 0.8 (1.2) |
| Low fat dairy products | 0.5 (1.5) | 0.4 (0.8) | 0.4 (0.8) | 0.4 (0.9) |
| High fat dairy products | 0.6 (1.1) | 0.5 (0.8) | 0.4 (0.7) | 0.4 (0.7) |
| Mineral intake (mg/day): | ||||
| Sodium | 4103 (2032) | 3783 (2116) | 4053 (2578) | 4909 (4248) |
| Potassium | 6122 (2187) | 4887 (1544) | 4560 (1516) | 4630 (1721) |
| Calcium | 1531 (661) | 1242 (480) | 1176 (473) | 1246 (518) |
| Magnesium | 527 (166) | 421 (125) | 398 (124) | 421 (149) |
| Phosphorous intake (mg/day) | 2346 (729) | 1953 (560) | 1869 (563) | 1970 (641) |
| Caffeine intake (mg/day) | 40.9 (39.2) | 40.2 (37.0) | 40.0 (36.2) | 52.0 (49.0) |
MET=metabolic equivalent of task; SFAs=saturated fatty acids; MUFAs=monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFAs=polyunsaturated fatty acids.
*
Adjusted through inverse probability weighting.
†
Sum of hours each day spent watching television, using a computer, and driving.
‡
Sum of hamburgers, sausages, and pizza.
§
Sum of ham, sausages, chorizo, salami, mortadella, and hamburgers.