There may be a direct association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, under the assumption that the high glycemic index of these food products could stimulate the entire chronic inflammation cascade, along with an indirect association mediated by obesity. The types of food consumed, including ultra-processed products, strongly influence obesity, and are also associated with higher serum CRP levels. Our aim was to investigate whether the caloric contribution of ultra-processed foods to diet is associated with CRP levels, independent of body mass index (BMI). Cross-sectional analysis on the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) baseline cohort (2008-2010). Dietary information, obtained through a food frequency questionnaire, was used to estimate the percentage of energy contribution from ultra-processed food to individuals' total caloric intake. CRP levels were the response variable. Sex-specific associations were estimated using generalized linear models with gamma distribution and log-link function. Ultra-processed food accounted for 20% of total energy intake. Among men, after adjustments for sociodemographic characteristics, there was no association between ultra-processed food intake and CRP levels. Among women, after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, smoking and physical activity, the highest tercile of ultra-processed food intake was associated with mean CRP levels that were 14% higher (95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.24) than those of the lowest tercile. However, after considering BMI, this association lost statistical significance. Our findings suggest that the positive association of ultra-processed food consumption with CRP levels among women seems to be mediated by the presence of adiposity.

Background: Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide and the effect on cognition appears to be task specific and vary by age. Method: In cohort of 14,563 public service workers (35–74 years old) we assessed coffee consumption habits and examined cognitive function using standardized neuropsychological test battery. By linear regression and generalize linear regression with logarithmic link and gamma distribution we investigated the relation of coffee consumption (never/almost never, ≤1 cup/day, 2–3 cups/day, ≥3 cups/day) in the last 12 months to performance on specific domains of cognition for adults and elderly separately. Results: Among elderly, after adjustments, coffee consumption was associated only with an increase in the mean words remembered on learning, recall, and word recognition tests when comparing the 2–3 cups/day to never/almost never category (arithmetic mean ratio (AMR): 1.03; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.00 to 1.07), and to an increase in the mean words pronounced in semantic verbal fluency test when comparing the ≥3 cups/day to never/almost never category (difference of the mean: 1.23; 95% CI: 0.16 to 2.29). However, coffee consumption was not associated with any cognitive function tests in adults and also was not associated with the phonemic verbal fluency test and trail-making test B in elderly. Conclusions: Results suggest that coffee consumption might be slightly beneficial to memory in elderly but lacks a dose response relationship. Longitudinal analyses are needed to investigate possible, even if subtle, positive effects of coffee drinking on specific cognitive domains in elderly.

Resumo O objetivo foi analisar a distribuição espacial da gravidez em menores de 14 anos e seis meses segundo regiões e municípios brasileiros e características sociodemográficas e de saúde das parturientes e nascidos vivos. Estudo ecológico, analisando o Sistema de Informação sobre Nascidos Vivos (SINASC), 2011-2021, em três grupos etários (<14 anos e 6 meses, 15-19 e 20 anos e mais), segundo variáveis demográficas e do parto. Foram aplicados os Índices Global e Local de Moran. No período foram 127.022 nascidos vivos de meninas 10-14 anos, na maioria negras, 21,1% em união estável ou casadas, com menor proporção de 7 consultas de pré-natal e captação no primeiro trimestre, maior proporção de baixo peso ao nascer e baixo índice de Apgar, residentes nas regiões Norte e Nordeste. A taxa média de nascidos vivos de 10-14 anos mostrou autocorrelação significativa com o espaço, especialmente em municípios do Centro-Oeste e Norte. A gravidez de 10 a 14 revela uma sequência de vulnerabilidades sofridas por essas meninas, pela gravidez em idade precoce, maior frequência entre negras, com implicações na morbimortalidade para ela e seus filhos; e pela violência presumida nesses casos, incluindo o acesso negado ao aborto legal.

Background: Brazil has the third largest prison population in the world. In 2016, the female prison population totaled 42,000, an increase of 656% over the population recorded in the early 2000s. The objective of this study was to describe the socialeconomic and reproductive health of women in Brazilian prisons, and the specific assistance received within the prison system. Methods: This is a first of its kind national survey conducted in 15 female prisons in eight Brazilian states between 2014 and 2015. The sample consisted of 1327 women in closed or semi-open prison regimes. Data collection used Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI). STATA v.15. Was use in analysis. The study was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Ceará, under CEP protocol No. 1,024,053. Results: The population was overwhelmingly Black or Brown, poor and little educated. When women worked previously, they had worked as domestic servants and were the sole source of income for their families. Most were mothers, with 39% having children less than 10 years old, now in the care of others. Most were in jail for drug-related crimes. Prisons were crowded, with more than 2/3rds of the inmates sharing a cell with 6 or more inmates. Services were provide, but women had not had a cervical cancer screening within the past 3 years and breast cancer screening was not conducted. Conclusions: Overall, given their backround and prison conditions they are unlikely to change the circumstances that brought them to prison in the first place.

Studies have shown that acute coffee ingestion can affect cardiovascular autonomic activity, although the chronic effects on heart rate variability (HRV) remain controversial. Method: A cross-sectional study with baseline data (2008–2010) from ELSA-Brasil cohort of 15,105 (aged 35–74), based in six Brazilian states. Coffee consumption in the previous 12 months was measured using the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and HRV was obtained through electrocardiographic tracings during 10 min at rest. Independent association between the frequency of coffee consumption “never or almost never”, “≤1 cup/day”, “2–3 cups/day”, “≥3 cups/day”, and HRV was estimated using generalized linear regression, adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, health-related behavior, markers of abnormal metabolism, and the presence of coronary artery disease. Further, we applied Bonferroni correction in the full models. Results: The mean age was 52 years (standard deviation (SD) = 9.1), and 52% was female; 9.5% never/almost never consumed coffee. In univariate analysis, coffee consumers had reduced values of HRV indexes, but after full adjustments and correction for multiple comparisons, these associations disappeared. A trend of reduction in HRV vagal indexes was observed in those that consumed ≥3 cups of coffee/day. Conclusion: Most of the effects attributed to the chronic use of coffee on the HRV indexes is related to the higher prevalence of unhealthy habits in coffee users, such as smoking and alcohol use. Adjustment for confounding factors weaken this association, making it non-significant. The effect of higher daily doses of coffee on the autonomic system should be evaluated in further studies.

Resumo Objetivou-se estimar a prevalência de hipertensão arterial (HA) e os fatores de risco associados em mulheres presas. Utilizou-se dados do Inquérito Nacional de Saúde na População Penitenciária Feminina e em Servidoras Prisionais, investigando-se características sociodemográficas, fatores das prisões, comportamentos e condições de saúde. As informações foram coletadas por meio de questionário autoaplicado, sendo a magnitude da associação estimada por odds ratio e intervalo de confiança de 95%. Das 1.327 participantes, 24,4% eram hipertensas, a maioria tinha 31 anos ou mais (54,6%), 51,5% autorreferiram etnia/cor parda. Após mutual ajustamento pelos fatores de risco associados na análise bivariada, observou-se relação direta e com gradiente entre idade e HA, em que idade igual/maior a 41 anos foi associada independentemente com uma chance sete vezes maior de ter HA, se comparado a quem tem menos de 25 anos. Aquelas que autorreferiram etnia/cor negra apresentaram colesterol alto e estavam obesas, também foram associadas de forma independente com maior prevalência de HA. O maior número de pessoas com que a presa divide cela esteve associado à maior prevalência de há, sem uma relação dose-resposta. Conclui-se que idade, etnia/cor, obesidade, inatividade física e estresse são fatores de risco para HA em mulheres presas.