Perfil lipídico, estado nutricional e consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados de adolescentes de um município do Sul de Minas Gerais

Abstract

Introduction: Dyslipidemia is a relevant public health issue in many countries, due to the high prevalence of overweight and obesity. In Brazil, there is a high incidence of lipid alterations in adolescents, due to the increased consumption of ultra-processed foods in this population. These foods are nutritionally unbalanced, as they are high in sugar, saturated and trans fats, and sodium, in addition to being low in fiber, micronutrients, and bioactive compounds. The consumption of ultra-processed foods can influence the inflammatory and metabolic profiles,

increase the risk of compromising the nutritional status and the development of chronic non- communicable diseases. Objective: To evaluate the consumption of ultra-processed foods,

serum concentrations of lipid profile markers, as well as the nutritional status of adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional study with adolescents (10 and 19 years old), of both sexes, regularly enrolled in a public school in a city in the south of Minas Gerais, in 2022. The consumption of ultra-processed foods, the lipid profile, the index body mass for age, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio. Results: The sample consisted of 201 adolescents, predominantly female (55.2%) and with a mean age of 14 years, of which 23.4% were overweight (overweight/obesity). As for the consumption of ultra-processed foods, it was part of the eating habits of 80.25% of the evaluated adolescents, being higher than the consumption of fruits and vegetables. The analysis of the lipid profile showed that more than 40% of the adolescents had at least one altered marker, with triglyceride levels being the most frequent (36.4%). A statistically significant difference was observed between the Z-score indicators of BMI (body mass index) and WHtR (waist-to-height ratio) only with triglycerides

(p < 0.05). Conclusion: The present study found the high frequency of consumption of ultra- processed foods by the evaluated adolescents, alteration in the lipid profile associated with

overweight, being considered risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.