Objective: To analyze the association between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and cardiometabolic, biochemical, and inflammatory risk factors in children in a metropolis in Northeast Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study using baseline data from a community-based controlled trial was carried out with 151 children from public schools in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil aged 7 to 10 years. Dietary consumption was assessed using 24 h food recall, and UPF consumption was estimated using the NOVA classification system. Anthropometry (BMI for age), blood pressure, biochemical parameters (ALT, AST, GGT, cholesterol, LDL-c, HDL-c, triglycerides, fasting glucose, HbA1c, HOMA-IR, creatinine, urea, hs-CRP), and cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17a, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) were also assessed. Results: Children in the third tertile (highest UPF consumption) had higher serum concentrations of LDL-c (p-value = 0.04) and ALT (p-value = 0.01), with a trend towards higher AST (p-value = 0.06). Total energy (p-value = 0.01), trans fatty acid (p-value = 0.02), and sodium (p-value = 0.04) intakes were higher in the highest tertile, whereas protein (p-value < 0.01) and fiber (p-value < 0.01) intakes were lower. Concentrations of IL-17A (p-value = 0.01) and IL-10 (p-value = 0.04) were significantly higher in the second tertile. Multiple linear regression showed that UPF consumption was significantly associated with increased LDL-c, ALT, and AST concentrations. Conclusions: High intake of UPFs was associated with dyslipidemia, elevated liver enzymes, and inflammatory changes in children. Dietary interventions are needed to reduce UPF consumption and prevent cardiometabolic and liver disease in childhood.

Evaluate autonomic function and low-grade inflammation and characterize the correlation between these variables in schoolchildren with obesity living in the Brazilian northeast region. 84 children with obesity and 41 with normal weight were included in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometry, body composition, blood pressure (BP), inflammatory biomarkers, and heart rate variability (HRV) indexes were analyzed in children aged 7 to 11 years. children with obesity had increased systolic (p = 0.0017) and diastolic (p = 0.0131) BP and heart rate (p = 0.0022). The children with obesity displayed significantly lower SDNN, RMSSD, NN50, HF (ms), HF (nu), SD1, SD2, and higher LF (ms), LF (nu), LF/HF, SD1/SD2, DFA-α1, and DFA-α2, compared to normal weight. A lower and higher capacity for producing IL-10 (p = 0.039) and IL-2 (p = 0.009), respectively, were found in children with obesity compared to children with normal weight. Although IL-2, IL-4 and IL17A did not correlate with HRV parameters, IL-6 was positively correlated with SDNN, LF (ms) and SD2, TNF-α was positively correlated with LF/HF and SD1/SD2 ratio, and IFN-γ was positively correlated with SDNN, RMMSSD, NN50, LF (ms), HF (ms), SD1, and SD2. The findings suggest that children with obesity have impaired autonomic function and systemic low-grade inflammation compared to children within the normal weight range, the inflammatory biomarkers were correlated with HRV parameters in schoolchildren living in the northeastern region of Brazil.

Background/Objectives: Depression, anxiety, and stress are highly prevalent mental disorders worldwide, and food consumption can change in individuals with these conditions. We aimed to assess the food consumption of women with depressive symptoms and compare it to a control without symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 96 women, aged 18–59, allocated into two groups: control (n = 62) or depressive symptoms (n = 34). The participants underwent an anthropometric assessment, and food consumption was evaluated using a 24 h food recall and the NOVA classification. Depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress were measured using the DASS-21 questionnaire. Results: Anthropometric parameters did not differ between the groups. Women with depressive symptoms consumed fewer calories (p = 0.006), carbohydrates (p = 0.014), proteins (p = 0.036), and lipids (0.011) from unprocessed and minimally processed foods (UMPF) compared to the control women. A negative correlation was found between the dietary consumption energy of UMPF and symptoms of depression (r = −0.337; p = 0.001), anxiety (r = −0.262; p = 0.014), and stress (r = −0.260; p = 0.014), as well as a positive correlation between energy intake from ultra-processed foods (UPF) and symptoms of depression (r = 0.218; p = 0.042) and stress (r = 0.227; p = 0.034). Regression analysis showed that depressive symptoms accounted for 7.6% of the lower energy consumption from UMPF. Conclusions: Women with depressive symptoms displayed lower UMPF consumption, and this was negatively correlated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Professional dietary advice can improve health status in these patients.

Context: Obesity has been associated with changes in cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) sulfate concentrations and increased stress levels and food addiction. Objectives: We explored changes in morning salivary cortisol and DHEA in childhood obesity and their associations with body composition, metabolic profile, food addiction, food consumption, and stress in a cross-sectional study. Methods: Children aged 7 to 12 years of both sexes were allocated into 2 groups according to body mass index-for-age: control group (n = 60) or obesity group (n = 98). Anthropometric, body composition, serum glucose, insulin, lipid profile, and DHEA were measured. Saliva was collected at different times to measure morning salivary cortisol concentrations. Food addiction, food consumption, and stress were assessed using questionnaires. Results: Lower DHEA [1.04 (0.87-1.25) ng/mL vs 1.65 (1.30-2.07) ng/mL, P = .002] and salivary cortisol (6:00 Am: 1.17 ± 0.89 vs 1.45 ± 0.82 nmol/L, 6:30 Am: 1.53 ± 0.68 vs 1.83 ± 0.70 nmol/L, 7:30 Am: 0.72 ± 0.99 vs 1.31 ± 0.94 nmol/L, P-value of time < 0.001 and P-value of group = .002) were observed in children with obesity compared to the control. DHEA correlated negatively with waist circumference (r = −0.20, P < .05), body mass index-for-age(BMI-Z) (r = −0.21, P < .01), and weight (r = −0.25, P < .01). DHEA showed a positive correlation with the cortisol area under the curve (r = 0.29, P = .002). Food addiction was positively correlated with waist circumference (r = 0.21, P < .01), BMI-Z (r = 0.22, P < .01), body weight (r = 0.20, P < .05), total energy intake (r = 0.20, P < .05), and lipids (r = 0.24, P < .01). Conclusion: Children with obesity showed lower concentrations of salivary cortisol and DHEA and higher food addiction compared to control children. These changes may contribute to the development of chronic diseases over time.

We investigated if children with excess weight who submitted to two types of intervention at school for 16 months showed improvements in thyroid and glycemic function and food intake. Children (8–11 years) with a body mass index-for-age (BMI/A) of ≥1 Z score were divided into two groups: Treatment 1 (n = 73) involved motivation to adopt healthier lifestyle; Treatment 2 (n = 103) involved performing weekly nutritional education, motivational, and physical activities at school. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used. The delta BMI/A were similar after 16 months; Treatment 1 showed higher decrease in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH; median (range)): −0.45 (−3.19 to 2.17) and 0.06 (−4.57 to 1.63) mIU/L, p = 0.001), FreeT3 (−0.46 (−2.92 to 1.54) and −0.15 (−2.46 to 1.38) pmol/L, p = 0.038), and FreeT4 −1.41 (−6.18 to 3.47) and −0.90 (−4.89 to 2.96) pmol/L, p = 0.018), followed by decrease in energy intake (7304 (6806 to 7840) and 8267 (7739 to 8832) kJ, Ptreatment = 0.439, Ptime <0.001, interaction group–time p < 0.001), macronutrients and sugar. A positive correlation between FreeT3 and BMI/A, and a negative correlation with FreeT4 and insulin were found at baseline (r 0.212, p < 0.01; r −0.155, p < 0.01, respectively) and follow-up (r 0.222, p < 0.01; r −0.221, p < 0.01). The decrease in overall diet and particularly sugar intake was accompanied by a greater reduction in TSH and FreeT3 in Treatment 1, demonstrating the impact of dietary intake on thyroid function.

The double burden of malnutrition (DBM) has been described in many low-/middle-income countries. We investigated food addiction, thyroid hormones, leptin, the lipid/glucose profile and body composition in DBM children/adolescents. Subjects were allocated into groups according to nutritional status: control (C, n 28), weight excess (WE, n 23) and DBM (WE plus mild stunting, n 22). Both the DBM and WE groups showed higher mean insulin concentrations than the control (DBM = 57·95 (95 % CI 47·88, 70·14) pmol/l, WE = 74·41 (95 % CI 61·72, 89·80) pmol/l, C = 40·03 (95 % CI 34·04, 47·83) pmol/l, P < 0·001). WE and DBM showed more food addiction symptoms than the control (3·11 (95 % CI 2·33, 3·89), 3·41 (95 % CI 2·61, 4·20) and 1·66 (95 % CI 0·95, 2·37)). In DBM individuals, addiction symptoms were correlated with higher body fat and higher insulin and leptin levels. These data provide preliminary evidence consistent with the suggestion that DBM individuals have a persistent desire to eat, but further studies are required to confirm these results in a larger study. These hormonal changes and high body fat contribute to the development of diabetes in long term.