Graduate student at the Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Postdoctoral Research fellow at the Center for Epidemiologic Studies in Nutrition and Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Nutrition. 2022 Jul-Aug;99-100:111649. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2022.111649. Epub 2022 Mar 12.
This study aimed to examine associations between consumption of ultraprocessed food (UPF) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in a sample of term and preterm infants.
In this cross-sectional study, 43 preterm infants (<34 wk), chronological age between 9 and 24 mo, were compared with a group of 47 healthy term infants of the same age. Data were collected on dietary intake, anthropometric measures, and serum CRP level (mg/L). The main exposure of interest was the consumption of UPF (excluding all types of milk), measured as the percentage of total energy intake.
The mean birth weight, gestational age, and corrected age were 1,245 ± 381.7 g, 29.9 ± 2.3 wk, and 14.3 ± 6.4 mo, respectively, in the preterm group. Infants in the preterm group consumed UPF less frequently (27-67.5% versus 40-87.0%; P = 0.038) but in a greater amount relative to total energy intake (39.8% [19.1-59.1%]) versus 29.0% (14.5- 41.9%; P = 0.040) when compared with the term group. There was no statistically significant difference between the preterm and term groups regarding CRP levels. The consumption of UPF (percentage of energy intake) was independently associated with CRP levels (β = 0.007; 95% CI, 0.001-0.014; P = 0.034). A significant interaction between being born preterm and UPF consumption was found for CRP levels (P = 0.049). Breast-feeding was not associated with lower consumption of UPF in both groups (24-75.0% versus 43-79.6%; P = 0.404).
There is a positive relationship between UPF and CRP levels among infants, irrespective of excess weight. At the clinical practice level, a better comprehension of the associations between food processing and chronic inflammation may aid in individual dietary guidance.
本研究旨在研究足月和早产儿样本中食用超加工食品（UPF）与 C 反应蛋白（CRP）水平之间的关联。
在这项横断面研究中，将 43 名早产儿（<34 周）与同一年龄的 47 名健康足月婴儿进行比较。收集了饮食摄入、人体测量学指标和血清 CRP 水平（mg/L）的数据。主要暴露因素是 UPF 的摄入（不包括所有类型的牛奶），以总能量摄入的百分比表示。
在早产儿组中，平均出生体重、胎龄和矫正年龄分别为 1245 ± 381.7g、29.9 ± 2.3 周和 14.3 ± 6.4 个月。与足月组相比，早产儿组食用 UPF 的频率较低（27-67.5%比 40-87.0%；P=0.038），但相对总能量摄入的量较大（39.8%[19.1-59.1%]比 29.0%[14.5-41.9%]；P=0.040）。早产儿组和足月组之间 CRP 水平无统计学差异。UPF 的消耗（能量摄入的百分比）与 CRP 水平独立相关（β=0.007；95%CI，0.001-0.014；P=0.034）。发现 CRP 水平存在出生时为早产儿和 UPF 消耗之间的显著交互作用（P=0.049）。在两组中，母乳喂养与 UPF 消耗较低无关（24-75.0%比 43-79.6%；P=0.404）。
在超重婴儿中，UPF 与 CRP 水平之间存在正相关关系。在临床实践层面上，更好地理解食品加工与慢性炎症之间的关系可能有助于进行个体饮食指导。
