Effect of ultra-processed food intake on metabolic syndrome components and body fat in children and adolescents: A systematic review based on cohort studies

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to thoroughly review the scientific literature related to cohort studies that evaluated the association between the intake of ultra-processed foods, according to the NOVA classification, and the increase in the components of metabolic syndrome and body fat in children and adolescents.

Methods: We consulted the PubMed, Scielo, Lilacs, and ScienceDirect databases and selected cohort studies that met the main objective of this review and included the age group of interest. We used an adaptation of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale to evaluate cohort studies.

Results: Of 383 articles identified, 367 were excluded after reading the title, abstract, and methodology. Only nine met the selection criteria defined for this review. Of the nine articles, two reported a positive association between high consumption of ultra-processed foods and total cholesterol levels; one reported a positive association with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, one with triacylglycerols, one with diastolic blood pressure, three with body mass index, two with waist circumference, and two with body fat.

Conclusions: Seven of nine studies found at least one association with components of metabolic syndrome. This highlights the importance of early intervention to prevent non-communicable diseases in the future.

Keywords: Adolescent; Body fat; Child; Metabolic syndrome; Ultra-processed food.