Table 3.
UPF intake (g/day) according to the MD adherence.
| Adherence to the MD | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low n = 143 |
Moderate n = 325 |
High n = 203 |
p Trend † | |
| Vegetables and legumes UPF | 38.2 (30.8–47.6) | 43.8 (37.8–50.7) | 34.8 (28.5–42.4) | 0.167 |
| Ready-to-heat vegetables and legumes (with added ingredients) | 38.2 (30.8–47.6) | 43.8 (37.8–50.7) | 34.8 (28.5–42.4) | 0.167 |
| Cereals and tubers UPF | 70.5 (59.1–84.3) | 43.2 (38.7–48.7) | 33.5 (28.8–39) * | <0.001 |
| Ready-to-heat pasta/gnocchi dishes | 17.9 (14.9–21.6) | 17.5 (15.3–19.9) | 15.1 (12.5–18.1) | 0.363 |
| Pre-packaged breads, buns, and bread alternatives | 18.2 (15.1–22.0) | 13.8 (12.2–15.6) | 11.9 (10.1–13.9) * | 0.004 |
| Pre-packaged pizza, focaccia, sandwich, and savory pies | 33.5 (27.4–41.0) | 24.5 (21.2–28.3) | 25.6 (20.6–31.8) | 0.043 |
| Pre-packaged instant rice, soups, noodles | 13.4 (10.5–17.1) | 12.3 (10.3–14.7) | 11.8 (9.2–15.0) | 0.754 |
| Breakfast cereals and energy bars (with added sugar) | 7.7 (5.9–9.9) | 6.5 (5.5–7.6) | 6.8 (5.4–8.5) | 0.547 |
| Pre-packaged potatoes (e.g., frozen potato chips) | 17.9 (15.8–20.3) | 14.9 (13.6–16.4) | 13.9 (12.2–15.9) * | 0.022 |
| Meat and fish UPF | 21.5 (18.8–24.5) | 15.7 (14.3–17.3) | 14.9 (13.0–17) * | <0.001 |
| Nuggets, sticks, sausages, burgers, and other reconstituted meat products | 18.9 (16.6–21.5) | 13.9 (12.6–15.2) | 13.0 (11.4–14.9) * | <0.001 |
| Fish nuggets, fish sticks, and other reconstituted fish products | 7.9 (6.9–9) | 8.4 (7.6–9.3) | 7.9 (7.0–9.1) | 0.626 |
| Milk and dairy products UPF | 20.7 (16.3–26.3) | 23.4 (19.9–27.5) | 18.9 (14.9–26.9) | 0.302 |
| Milk beverages (e.g., probiotic milk with added sugar) | 15.8 (11.5–21.9) | 22.6 (17.7–28.9) | 18.3 (13.4–25.1) | 0.205 |
| Fruit or flavored yogurts (e.g., vanilla flavored) | 25.0 (20.0–31.1) | 27.1 (23.5–31.2) | 24.3 (19.8–29.8) | 0.632 |
| Melted cheese (also used to stuff sandwich) | 3.4 (2.9–4.0) | 2.9 (2.5–3.3) | 3.2 (2.6–3.8) | 0.240 |
| Fats and seasonings UPF | 6.7 (5.5–8.1) | 5.6 (4.9–6.5) | 5.5 (4.6–6.6) | 0.309 |
| Margarines and other spreads | 0.8 (0.4–1.6) | 0.9 (0.5–1.7) | 0.9 (0.4–1.6) | 0.940 |
| Pre-packaged or instant sauces (e.g., mayonnaise, ketchup, meat sauce) | 7.0 (5.8–8.6) | 5.7 (4.9–6.5) | 5.5 (4.6–6.5) | 0.138 |
| Sweets and sweeteners UPF | 54.6 (46.8–63.7) | 35.8 (32.5–39.6) | 29.8 (63.7–33.8) * | <0.001 |
| Pre-packaged biscuits, cakes, snacks, and ice-cream | 39.4 (33.1–46.9) | 25.0 (22.3–28) | 21.9 (18.9–25.5) * | <0.001 |
| Chocolate, spreads (e.g., nut spread), and candies | 10.2 (8.4–12.4) | 8.8 (7.7–10.0) | 7.2 (6.1–8.5) * | 0.033 |
| Beverages UPF | 57.9 (44.6–75.3) | 35.3 (29.5–42.1) | 25.0 (19.8–31.5) * | <0.001 |
| Soft and energy drinks (e.g., iced tea, coke) | 72.2 (59.0–89.0) | 51.4 (44.4–59.4) | 45.2 (36.9–55.4) * | 0.005 |
| Alcoholic beverages (e.g., rum, gin, spirits) | 5.7 (4.3–7.4) | 4.9 (4.1–5.7) | 4.8 (4.0–5.8) | 0.589 |
| Other UPF | 29.3 (19.1–44.8) | 27.4 (22.2–33.9) | 33.7 (25.3–44.8) | 0.527 |
| Plant-based dairy substitutes (e.g., soy yogurt, tofu) | 35.2 (21.3–58.4) | 33.7 (26.4–42.9) | 49.3 (35.3–68.9) | 0.195 |
| Plant-based meat substitutes (e.g., veggie burger) | 11.8 (8.2–16.9) | 10.9 (9.2–12.8) | 10.1 (8.1–12.8) | 0.783 |
Legend: MD: Mediterranean diet; UPF: ultra-processed foods. Data are reported as geometric mean and 95% confidence interval (CI). † Adjusted for age, sex, BMI, education level, marital status, and total food consumed (g/day). * p < 0.05 for differences between low and high adherence to the MD adjusted for age, sex, BMI, education level, marital status, and total dietary intake (g food/day).