TABLE 2.

Food groups contributing to UPF consumption and other nutritional factors in the RTR population overall and according to sex-specific tertiles of UPFs¹

		Sex-specific tertiles
UPFs	Overall RTRs (n = 632)	T1 (n = 210)	T2 (n = 211)	T3 (n = 211)	P value
Total energy intake, kcal/d	2172.7 ± 638.3	2033.3 ± 578.7	2203.5 ± 593.3	2280.6 ± 711.9	<0.001
Weight proportion UPFs, % g/d
Men	29.7 ± 11.8	18.1 ± 3.9	28.1 ± 3.2	43.1 ± 8.8	<0.001
Women	26.2 ± 9.9	16.3 ± 3.6	25.1 ± 2.4	37.2 ± 7.5	<0.001
Energy proportion UPFs, % kcal/d
Men	33.9 ± 14.1	22.4 ± 5.6	31.8 ± 7.1	47.4 ± 14.1	<0.001
Women	32.9 ± 13.1	22.7 ± 6.0	31.1 ± 6.6	45.0 ± 13.6	<0.001
NOVA classification
Unprocessed or minimally processed foods, g/d	1454.9 ± 471.2	1733.0 ± 469.5	1467.4 ± 368.0	1165.0 ± 387.4	<0.001
Percentage of total food intake	57%
Processed culinary ingredients, g/d	26.3 ± 26.7	26.8 ± 26.4	24.9 ± 26.1	27.3 ± 27.7	0.62
Percentage of total food intake	1%
Processed foods, g/d	365.7 ± 239.8	411.1 ± 256.0	363.8 ± 235.3	322.4 ± 219.8	0.001
Percentage of total food intake	14%
UPFs, g/d	721.2 ± 341.1	453.0 ± 151.5	679.7 ± 193.3	1029.7 ± 346.8	<0.001
Percentage of total food intake	28%
Sugar-sweetened beverages	163.3 [53.6–326.1]	42.9 [8.3–123.1]	153.6 [85.7–294.0]	406.7 [258.4–630.9]	<0.001
Starchy foods, breakfast cereals	115.4 [84.7–149.4]	106.4 [78.7–140.3]	125.7 [94.7–156.7]	114.8 [85.2–153.4]	0.001
Dairy products (not desserts)	85.8 [28.8–145.0]	62.1 [13.3–127.3]	92.8 [41.4–145.0]	104.6 [49.3–187.9]	<0.001
Desserts	20.7 [3.7–61.2]	9.2 [0.5–33.7]	28.3 [4.5–65.8]	27.1 [9.2–66.7]	<0.001
Sauces and fats	38.1 [24.5–52.7]	32.3 [19.3–47.6]	39.9 [28.6–53.8]	38.1 [25.4–57.3]	0.001
Prepared meals	21.9 [5.8–51.3]	12.9 [0.0–39.6]	20.8 [5.8–50.5]	40.2 [16.1–70.8]	<0.001
Cookies	21.4 [10.7–36.7]	18.5 [8.4–29.9]	23.8 [13.1–34.7]	24.6 [11.8–43.5]	0.002
Fried foods and salty snacks	16.9 [6.3–31.6]	10.7 [2.3–21.8]	16.3 [6.4–30.6]	24.9 [12.5–39.6]	<0.001
Cakes and pastries	13.8 [7.9–29.1]	13.2 [6.9–26.4]	16.0 [7.9–34.4]	13.0 [7.7–28.6]	0.10
Toppings	15.0 [5.4–30.0]	13.1 [4.5–28.8]	16.3 [6.4–32.5]	15.0 [4.3–29.8]	0.07
Processed meats	11.1 [4.5–20.0]	8.3 [1.5–16.6]	12.2 [4.6–20.2]	12.7 [7.3–21.4]	<0.001
Liquors	0.0 [0.0–3.7]	0.0 [0.0–3.7]	0.0 [0.0–4.5]	0.0 [0.0–3.7]	0.82
Candy	5.9 [1.6–13.0]	4.9 [1.2–10.6]	5.8 [1.9–11.0]	7.1 [2.2–16.8]	0.008
Plant-based products	0.0 [0.0–0.0]	0.0 [0.0–0.0]	0.0 [0.0–0.0]	0.0 [0.0–0.0]	0.78
Nutrients
Carbohydrates, En%	45.9 ± 6.4	44.6 ± 6.5	45.7 ± 6.4	47.3 ± 6.1	<0.001
Protein, En%	15.5 ± 2.6	16.2 ± 2.5	15.6 ± 2.6	14.6 ± 2.4	<0.001
Animal protein, g/d	51.4 ± 14.9	50.9 ± 14.1	52.7 ± 15.4	50.5 ± 15.2	0.29
Plant protein, g/d	30.7 ± 9.9	29.5 ± 9.2	31.9 ± 10.3	30.6 ± 9.9	0.05
Fat, En%	35.8 [32.4–40.0]	35.5 [32.1–39.9]	36.1 [32.9–39.7]	35.8 [32.2–40.5]	0.66
SFAs, g/d	29.3 [22.7–37.7]	26.8 [20.9–35.2]	30.3 [24.2–38.0]	31.6 [23.7–39.4]	<0.001
MUFAs, g/d	28.2 [21.5–35.1]	25.2 [19.6–32.8]	29.9 [22.6–35.3]	29.3 [22.9–36.9]	0.001
PUFAs, g/d	17.3 [13.0–23.1]	16.3 [12.0–22.9]	18.2 [13.8–23.3]	17.5 [13.0–23.7]	0.08
Total fiber intake, g/d	22.4 ± 6.8	22.6 ± 6.8	23.3 ± 7.3	21.3 ± 6.1	0.007
Fruit consumption, g/d	123.0 [66.3–232.0]	167.4 [84.1–260.7]	128.6 [70.3–232.0]	94.4 [35.1–169.1]	<0.001
Vegetables consumption,2 g/d	112.4 [76.8–158.6]	130.2 [87.0–171.6]	114.7 [80.7–163.3]	97.0 [68.4–129.9]	<0.001
Alcohol consumption, g/d	2.6 [0.0–11.1]	4.8 [0.1–15.6]	2.6 [0.1–9.7]	1.1 [0.0–6.7]	0.001
Mediterranean diet score	4.3 ± 1.7	4.8 ± 1.8	4.3 ± 1.7	3.8 ± 1.5	<0.001
DASH score	23.8 ± 4.7	25.9 ± 4.6	24.2 ± 4.2	21.4 ± 4.1	<0.001

¹Values are mean ± SD or median [IQR] unless indicated otherwise. Differences were tested by ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis test for continuous variables and with the χ² test for categorical variables. DASH, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension; RTR, renal transplant recipient; T, tertile; UPF, ultra-processed food.

²Including legumes.