Consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados por indivíduos portadores de hipertensão arterial atendidos em ambulatório de um hospital universitário

Abstract

Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH) is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the world, its modifiable risk factors are: tobacco use; physical inactivity; abusive alcohol consumption; unhealthy diet. The objective of the study was to evaluate the consumption of ultraprocessed foods (UPF) and its relation with anthropometric, biochemical and clinical profile in individuals with hypertension attended at an outpatient clinic of the University Hospital of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora. This is a cross-sectional, exploratory and analytical study, with 191 adults, of both sexes, aged 19-59 years. Two 24-hour recalls were applied and food consumption was analyzed in the Stata 13.0 program. The sample was divided into: group 1 (tertiles 1 and 2) = lower consumption of UPF; group 2 (tertil 3) = higher consumption of UPF. Weight, height, waist, abdominal, hip and neck circumferences were measured and sociodemographic data were collected. There was a median consumption of 1856 kcal, with 19,87% of UPF, 14,74% of processed foods, 8,84% of culinary ingredients and 55,78% of in natura food (INF). The women had a higher percentage of UPF consumption than men (21.7%, p = 0.005), which had higher INF consumption (60.2%, p = 0.01). Group 2 did not present a significant difference in the consumption of total fibers (p = 0,10) and vitamin C (p = 0,05) in relation to group 1. The multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for sex, age, income and educational level showed inverse association of UPF consumption with total protein (p<0,05) and direct association with total lipids (p = 0.02) and total calories (p <0.05); the other nutrients did not maintain a significant association. The diet of the group with the highest consumption of UPF presented high caloric density, high levels of saturated and trans fats, sodium and sugar, and the higher sodium intake in this group constitutes an aggravating factor to health, because it is strongly related to the elevation of levels pressure, which in turn is a risk factor for the development of other cardiovascular diseases.