Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population according to sex-specific quartiles of consumption of ultra-processed foods (% of total energy), UK Biobank cohort (n = 22,659)
| All participants | Quartilea of ultra-processed food consumption (% of total energy) | p value* | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Means (SD) or n (%) | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| Age, years | 55.9 (7.4) | 56.5 (7.2) | 56.4 (7.3) | 55.9 (7.4) | 55 (7.7) | < 0.001 |
| Sex, n (%) | 1.000 | |||||
| Female | 11,815 (52.1) | 2954 (52.1) | 2954 (52.1) | 2954 (52.1) | 2953 (52.1) | |
| Male | 10,844 (47.9) | 2711 (47.9) | 2711 (47.9) | 2711 (47.9) | 2711 (47.9) | |
| Index of multiple deprivation, n (%) | < 0.001 | |||||
| 1st quintile (least deprived) | 4445 (19.6) | 1226 (21.6) | 1083 (19.1) | 1118 (19.7) | 1018 (18.0) | |
| 2nd quintile | 4440 (19.6) | 1123 (19.8) | 1168 (20.6) | 1090 (19.2) | 1059 (18.7) | |
| 3rd quintile | 4448 (19.6) | 1137 (20.1) | 1120 (19.8) | 1087 (19.2) | 1104 (19.5) | |
| 4th quintile | 4425 (19.5) | 1071 (18.9) | 1102 (19.5) | 1139 (20.1) | 1113 (19.7) | |
| 5th quintile (most deprived) | 4433 (19.6) | 989 (17.5) | 1082 (19.1) | 1106 (19.5) | 1256 (22.2) | |
| Missing | 468 (2.1) | 119 (2.1) | 110 (1.9) | 125 (2.2) | 114 (2.0) | |
| Physical activity, n (%) | < 0.001 | |||||
| Low | 3645 (16.1) | 865 (15.3) | 854 (15.1) | 919 (16.2) | 1007 (17.8) | |
| Moderate | 8249 (36.4) | 2038 (36.0) | 2061 (36.4) | 2071 (36.6) | 2079 (36.7) | |
| High | 7701 (33.9) | 2090 (36.9) | 1980 (35.0) | 1885 (33.3) | 1746 (30.8) | |
| Missing | 3064 (13.5) | 672 (11.9) | 770 (13.6) | 790 (14.0) | 832 (14.7) | |
| Smoking statusc, n (%) | < 0.001 | |||||
| Never | 13,794 (61.0) | 3187 (56.4) | 3424 (60.5) | 3511 (62.1) | 3672 (65.0) | |
| Previous | 7570 (33.5) | 2122 (37.6) | 1933 (34.2) | 1844 (32.6) | 1671 (29.6) | |
| Current | 1250 (5.5) | 342 (6.1) | 300 (5.3) | 298 (5.3) | 310 (5.5) | |
| Sleep durationc, n (%) | 0.493 | |||||
| ≤ 6 h/day | 4808 (21.3) | 1217 (21.5) | 1162 (20.6) | 1184 (21.0) | 1245 (22.1) | |
| 7–8 h/day | 16,367 (72.4) | 4085 (72.2) | 4139 (73.2) | 4111 (72.7) | 4032 (71.4) | |
| ≥ 9 h/day | 1433 (6.3) | 355 (6.3) | 351 (6.2) | 357 (6.3) | 370 (6.6) | |
| BMI baseline, kg/m2 | 26.7 (4.3) | 26.6 (4.2) | 26.5 (4.2) | 26.6 (4.4) | 27 (4.6) | < 0.001 |
| Obesity at baselineb, n (%) | < 0.001 | |||||
| No | 18,218 (81.3) | 4623 (82.5) | 4611 (82.3) | 4595 (82.1) | 4389 (78.3) | |
| Yes | 4188 (18.7) | 979 (17.5) | 989 (17.7) | 1005 (18.0) | 1215 (21.7) | |
| WC at baseline, cm | 88.4 (12.9) | 88.3 (12.8) | 87.9 (12.7) | 88.3 (12.9) | 89.2 (13.1) | < 0.001 |
| Abdominal obesity at baselined, n (%) | < 0.001 | |||||
| No | 17,113 (75.6) | 4304 (76.0) | 4348 (76.8) | 4316 (76.2) | 4145 (73.2) | |
| Yes | 5530 (24.4) | 1357 (24.0) | 1311 (23.2) | 1346 (23.8) | 1516 (26.8) | |
| Body fat at baseline, % | 30.4 (8.4) | 30.6 (8.1) | 30.1 (8.3) | 30.4 (8.6) | 30.5 (8.5) | 0.197 |
BMI body mass index, WC waist circumference, BF body fat
aSex-specific cut-offs for quarters of ultra-processed food consumption were 24.7%, 41.8%, 54.1% and 71.1% in women and 26.3%, 43.4%, 55.6% and 72.2% in men
bDefined as Body Mass Index ≥ 30 kg/m2 (World Health Organization, 2003)
cA very low proportion of values were missing for smoking status (0.03%, n = 3) and for sleep duration (0.22%, n = 51)
dDefined as waist circumference ≥ 102/88 cm for men and women, respectively (World Health Organization, 2008)
*Analysis of variance or χ2 test where appropriate