Ultra-processed food intake and food allergy in children and adolescents

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the dietary intake of ultra-processed foods (UPF) by children and adolescents with food allergy (FA) and to verify a possible association between the UPF intake with clinical characteristics and nutritional status in this group. This cross-sectional study included 110 children and adolescents with single or multiple FA IgE and non-IgE mediated. We evaluated food intake using the NOVA classification through the three 24-h recalls. The average contribution of UPF to total energy intake (calories) ranges from 21% in the first quartile to 43% in the last quartile (mean UPF intake 33.9 ± 14.9%). After binary logistic regression, an association was verified between dietary intake of UPF (>4th quartile) as a percentage of total energy intake and having multiple food allergies (OR 4.102; 95% CI − 1.331 to 12.643; p = .014). We concluded that children and adolescents with FA consumed a higher amount of UPF.

Keywords:

• Food hypersensitivity
• children
• adolescent
• dietary intake
• ultra-processed foods

Acknowledgments

The present study was carried out with the support of Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brazil (CAPES)

Disclosure statement

Elaine Cristina de Almeida Kotchetkoff, Fabíola Isabel Suano de Souza, Daniela Neri Gama de Almeida, Talita Lemos Neves Barreto, Raquel Bicudo Mendonça, Roseli Oselka Saccardo Sarni, authors of the manuscript entitled ‘‘Ultra-processed food intake and food allergy in children and adolescents’’ declare that they do not have any financial, commercial, political, academic, and personal conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.