Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
Unit of Human Nutrition and Health, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Italian National Institute of Health, 00161 Roma, Italy.
Nutrients. 2021 Jul 10;13(7):2364. doi: 10.3390/nu13072364.
The present study aimed to provide a descriptive analysis of the nutrient profile of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) marketed in Italy according to three front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) schemes implemented by France, i.e., the Nutriscore; by the United Kingdom, i.e., Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL); and by Italy, i.e., the NutrInform battery. The analysis was made in fourteen food product categories, corresponding to 124 foods. The application of the Nutriscore scheme showed that a significant proportion of foods (23%) were awarded an A or B. Furthermore, the analysis according to the MTL showed that food products that were above the threshold ("red") for fat, saturated fats, sugars, and salt ranged from 13% to 31%. Interestingly, even though all foods considered in the analysis were UPF, they were heterogeneous in nutritional composition, as demonstrated by the FOPL schemes applied, showing that UPF represent a heterogeneous group of foods with different characteristics. Such a finding may have relevant implications for epidemiological studies that analyze the association between UPF consumption and health outcomes, suggesting the need for better characterization of the effects of UPF intake on human health.
本研究旨在根据法国实施的三种包装正面标签（FOPL）方案，即 Nutriscore；英国的多色信号灯（MTL）；以及意大利的 NutrInform 电池，对意大利市场上销售的超加工食品（UPF）的营养状况进行描述性分析。分析涉及 14 种食品类别，共 124 种食品。Nutriscore 方案的应用表明，相当一部分食品（23%）被评为 A 或 B。此外，根据 MTL 的分析结果表明，脂肪、饱和脂肪、糖和盐含量超过阈值（“红色”）的食品比例在 13%至 31%之间。有趣的是，尽管分析中考虑的所有食品均为 UPF，但它们在营养成分上存在差异，这一点从应用的 FOPL 方案中可以看出，表明 UPF 是一组具有不同特征的异质食品。这一发现可能对分析 UPF 消费与健康结果之间关联的流行病学研究具有重要意义，表明需要更好地描述 UPF 摄入对人类健康的影响。
