Variation in ultra‐processed food consumption from 6 to 15 years, body weight and body composition at 15 years of age at The Pelotas 2004 Birth Cohort

BACKGROUND: The association of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption with obesity and adipose tissue in children/adolescents remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of UPF consumption with excessive weight (EW-defined as BMI-for-age ≥+1 z-score) and body composition at 15 years. METHODS: ). Logistic regression and linear regression were used to estimate, respectively, odds ratios and beta coefficients. RESULTS: ; p < 0.001) than the always-low consumer group, and females from the always-high consumer group presented on average 32% more FM and FMI than the always-low consumer group. CONCLUSIONS: In crude and adjusted analyses there was a strong association between high UPF consumption from childhood to adolescence, EW and higher body fat parameters at 15 years, but its deleterious association with body adiposity was only uncovered after adjusting for confounders.