Ultra-processed foods and the nutritional quality of the diet of Brazilian pregnant women

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the consumption of ultra-processed foods by Brazilian pregnant women and its association with the nutritional quality of the diet. METHODS: This is a prospective and cross-sectional study with food consumption data of Brazilian pregnant women from the 2017 to 2018 Family Budgets Survey (Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares). Food consumption was measured using two 24-h food recalls, and the foods were categorized according to the NOVA classification. The averages of absolute and relative energy consumption for each of the NOVA groups and subgroups were estimated. The sociodemographic characteristics described the diet's caloric contribution of ultra-processed and non-ultra-processed food fractions. Linear regression models were used to describe the association between quintiles of the caloric contribution of ultra-processed foods and the average content of nutrients in the diet. RESULTS: Consumption of ultra-processed foods represented 20.9% of the total calories in the diet of Brazilian pregnant women. There was a higher energy contribution of ultra-processed foods in the diet of pregnant women living in urban areas (22%), with higher per capita income (23.7%), and in the south region of the country (26.9%). In addition, the data showed an association between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods with reduced intake of protein, carbohydrate, fiber, potassium, iron, zinc, and folate and increased intake of total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and free sugar. CONCLUSION: Results show that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with a reduction in the nutritional quality of the diet of Brazilian pregnant women.

Effect of Echium oil compared with marine oils on lipid profile and inhibition of hepatic steatosis in LDLr knockout mice.

BACKGROUND: In an effort to identify new alternatives for long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) supplementation, the effect of three sources of omega 3 fatty acids (algae, fish and Echium oils) on lipid profile and inflammation biomarkers was evaluated in LDL receptor knockout mice. METHODS: The animals received a high fat diet and were supplemented by gavage with an emulsion containing water (CON), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 42.89%) from algae oil (ALG), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 19.97%) plus DHA (11.51%) from fish oil (FIS), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 26.75%) plus stearidonic acid (SDA, 11.13%) from Echium oil (ECH) for 4 weeks. RESULTS: Animals supplemented with Echium oil presented lower cholesterol total and triacylglycerol concentrations than control group (CON) and lower VLDL than all of the other groups, constituting the best lipoprotein profile observed in our study. Moreover, the Echium oil attenuated the hepatic steatosis caused by the high fat diet. However, in contrast to the marine oils, Echium oil did not affect the levels of transcription factors involved in lipid metabolism, such as Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor α (PPAR α) and Liver X Receptor α (LXR α), suggesting that it exerts its beneficial effects by a mechanism other than those observed to EPA and DHA. Echium oil also reduced N-6/N-3 FA ratio in hepatic tissue, which can have been responsible for the attenuation of steatosis hepatic observed in ECH group. None of the supplemented oils reduced the inflammation biomarkers. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Echium oil represents an alternative as natural ingredient to be applied in functional foods to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors.