Association between ultra-processed food intake, diet quality, and cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents in Antioquia, Colombia

Q: How was ultra-processed food intake measured in this study?

UPF intake was identified using the NOVA classification based on 24-hour dietary recalls from adolescents.

Q: What were the main findings linking UPF intake to health outcomes?

Higher UPF intake was associated with lower fiber intake and certain dietary fat and calorie patterns, and adolescents in the highest UPF quartile had higher blood glucose levels.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

Objective: analyze how ultra-processed food (UPF) intake relates to diet quality and cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) among adolescents in Antioquia, Colombia. Methodology: cross-sectional secondary analysis using 24-h dietary recalls and NOVA to quantify UPF energy, macronutrients, and fiber. CRFs included excess body weight, abdominal obesity, and blood lipid/glucose alterations, assessed via multiple linear regression and multivariate binary logistic regression. Results: among 402 adolescents, higher UPF share associated with lower fiber and specific dietary fat and calorie intakes; the highest quartile showed increased glucose. Conclusion: UPF intake corresponded to diet quality deterioration and elevated glucose levels, especially in urban adolescents of the middle socioeconomic stratum.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Study objective and rationale

Methodology

Design, participants, and dietary assessment

UPF classification and CRF definitions

Statistical analyses

Results

UPF contribution to dietary intake

Associations with diet and cardiovascular risk indicators

Conclusion

TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED 17 December 2025 DOI 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1710967 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Flávia Dos Santos Barbosa Brito, Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil REVIEWED BY Camilla Menezes, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil Ariane Romeiro, Centro Universitário Serra dos Órgãos, Brazil *CORRESPONDENCE Juan C. Aristizábal [juan.aristizabal@udea.edu.co](juan.aristizabal@udea.edu.co) RECEIVED 22 September 2025 REVISED 24 October 2025 ACCEPTED 17 November 2025 PUBLISHED 17 December 2025 CITATION Castrillón-Ruiz L, Estrada-Restrepo A, Cediel G, Cárdenas-Sánchez D, Barona-Acevedo J and Aristizábal JC (2025) Association between ultra-processed food intake, diet quality, and cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents in Antioquia, Colombia. Front. Public Health 13:1710967. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1710967 COPYRIGHT © 2025 Castrillón-Ruiz, Estrada-Restrepo, Cediel, Cárdenas-Sánchez, Barona-Acevedo and Aristizábal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Association between ultra-processed food intake, diet quality, and cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents in Antioquia, Colombia Laura Castrillón-Ruiz 1, Alejandro Estrada-Restrepo 1, Gustavo Cediel 1, Diana Cárdenas-Sánchez 1, Jacqueline Barona-Acevedo 2 and Juan C. Aristizábal 1,3* 1School of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia, 2 Research group of Toxinology, Food and Therapeutic Alternatives, School of Microbiology, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia, 3 Physiology and Biochemistry Research Group-PHYSIS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia Objective: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between ultra-processed food (UPF) intake, diet quality, and cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) among adolescents in Antioquia, Colombia. Methodology: This study is a cross-sectional secondary analysis of adolescents who participated in food and nutritional surveys in Antioquia. The NOVA classification was used to identify the intake of UPF based on 24-h dietary recalls. The analysis focused on the contribution of UPF intake to overall dietary kilocalories, macronutrients, and fiber content. The CRFs included excess body weight, abdominal obesity, and alterations in blood lipid and glucose levels. Statistical analyses included multiple linear regression models, multivariate binary logistic regression, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: The analysis focused on 402 adolescents (mean age 14.1 ± 1.9 years) . UPF intake accounted for 17.6 ± 1.9% of total dietary kilocalories, with a higher percentage in urban areas (19.0% vs. 9.7%; p = 0.002) and among those in the middle socioeconomic stratum (23 .0% vs. 16.6%; p = 0.006) . UPF consumption was associated with total kilocalories, total fat and saturated fat intake, and decreased fiber intake (p < 0.001) . Adolescents in the highest quartile of UPFintake showed higher blood glucose levels (3 .13 mg/dL; p < 0.05), although no significant associations were found with other CRFs. Conclusion: UPF intake was associated with diet quality deterioration and increased blood glucose levels. High UPF intake among adolescents in urban areas of Antioquia, particularly within the middle socioeconomic stratum, poses a potential health risk that warrants further monitoring. KEYWORDS adolescents, ultra-processed foods, NOVA classification, heart disease risk factors, public health Frontiers in Public Health 01 [frontiersin.org](frontiersin.org) Introduction The consumption of ult

FAQs

How was ultra-processed food intake measured in this study?

UPF intake was identified using the NOVA classification based on 24-hour dietary recalls from adolescents.

Which cardiovascular risk factors were assessed?

CRFs included excess body weight, abdominal obesity, and alterations in blood lipid and glucose levels.

What were the main findings linking UPF intake to health outcomes?

Higher UPF intake was associated with lower fiber intake and certain dietary fat and calorie patterns, and adolescents in the highest UPF quartile had higher blood glucose levels.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy