The environmental impact of beef and ultra-processed food consumption in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the independent and combined environmental impacts of the consumption of beef and ultra-processed foods in Brazil. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: We used food purchases data from a national household budget survey conducted between July 2017 and July 2018, representing all Brazilian households. Food purchases were converted into energy, carbon footprints and water footprints. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the association between quintiles of beef and ultra-processed foods in total energy purchases and the environmental footprints, controlling for sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: Both beef and ultra-processed foods had a significant linear association with carbon and water footprints (P < 0·01) in crude and adjusted models. In the crude upper quintile of beef purchases, carbon and water footprints were 47·7 % and 30·8 % higher, respectively, compared to the lower quintile. The upper quintile of ultra-processed food purchases showed carbon and water footprints 14·4 % and 22·8 % higher, respectively, than the lower quintile. The greatest reduction in environmental footprints would occur when both beef and ultra-processed food purchases are decreased, resulting in a 21·1 % reduction in carbon footprint and a 20·0 % reduction in water footprint. CONCLUSIONS: Although the environmental footprints associated with beef consumption are higher, dietary patterns with lower consumption of beef and ultra-processed foods combined showed the greatest reduction in carbon and water footprints in Brazil. The high consumption of beef and ultra-processed foods is harmful to human health, as well as to the environment; thus, their reduction is beneficial to both.

Segurança alimentar e consumo de frutas e vegetais entre pré-escolares: estudo exploratório durante a pandemia da COVID-19 / Food security and fruit and vegetable consumption among preschoolers: an exploratory study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Estudos que avaliem a insegurança alimentar e sua associação com o consumo de frutas, legumes e verduras (FLV) podem auxiliar na identificação de grupos e fatores de risco para um consumo alimentar inadequado, a fim de propor intervenções nutricionais assertivas. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever o consumo de FLV por crianças em diferentes situações de segurança alimentar. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório de caráter transversal, conduzido com pais/ responsáveis de 44 crianças de zero a quatro anos. A versão curta da Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar e um Questionário de Frequência Alimentar foram aplicados aos pais/responsáveis via entrevista telefônica. As crianças tinham em média 2,6 anos, 56,8% eram do sexo feminino, 67,5% estavam eutróficas, e 70,5% das famílias estavam em situação de insegurança alimentar. Para os domicílios em situação de segurança alimentar, a mediana de consumo de FLV foi 213,4 g/dia (P25=97,89; P75=425,91). Já aqueles em situação de insegurança alimentar, a mediana de FLV foi de 105,4 g/dia (P25=33,58; P75=205,16). Concluiu-se que o consumo de FLV pelas crianças de famílias em situação de segurança alimentar é superior ao das crianças em situação de insegurança alimentar, as quais são fortemente influenciadas pela oferta de alimentos baratos e de baixa qualidade nutricional. Políticas públicas são necessárias para favorecer a garantia de acesso à FLV de qualidade e com custo acessível a todas as famílias.

Studies that assess food insecurity and its association with the consumption of fruits, legumes, and vegetables (FLV) can help identify groups and risk factors of inadequate food consumption, in order to propose assertive nutritional interventions. The aim of this study was to describe FLV consumption by children in different food security situations. This is an exploratory cross-sectional study, conducted with parents/guardians of 44 children from zero to four years old. The short version of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale and a Food Frequency Questionnaire were applied to parents/guardians via a telephone interview. The children were 2.6 years old on average, 56.8% were female, 67.5% were eutrophic, and 70.5% of the families were in a situation of food insecurity. For households in a situation of food security, the median consumption of FLV was 213.4 g/day (P25=97.89; P75=425.91). As for those in a situation of food insecurity, the median FLV was 105.4 g/day (P25=33.58; P75=205.16). It was concluded that the consumption of FLV by children from families in a situation of food security is higher than that of children in a situation of food insecurity, who are strongly influenced by the offer of cheap food with low nutritional quality. Public policies are needed to favor the guarantee of access to FLV of quality and at an affordable cost for all families.

Desenvolvimento de um índice dietético baseado na dieta do Programa Alimentar Cardioprotetor Brasileiro (DICA Br) / Development of a dietary index based on the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Program

Introdução: Índices dietéticos (ID) têm sido utilizados para estudar associações entre alimentação e doenças cardiovasculares (DCV). Um ID combina e resume aspectos de uma recomendação ou guia alimentar. Esses aspectos geralmente são a quantidade de nutrientes, alimentos ou grupos de alimentos a serem consumidos em um período de tempo (dia - semana - mês). A dieta do Programa Alimentar Brasileiro Cardioprotetor (DICA Br) classificou os alimentos em quatro grupos e definiu a quantidade diária a ser consumida. Uma vez que os aspectos nutricionais do DICA Br são diferentes de outras recomendações alimentares, não é possível utilizar os ID existentes para associar essa dieta com as DCV. Por isso, faz-se necessário o desenvolvimento de ID que considere as características da DICA Br. Objetivo: Descrever o desenvolvimento do ID DICA Br, avaliar a sua consistência interna, validade de constructo e as características da população associadas ao índice. Métodos: Foram utilizados dados de baseline do ensaio clínico randomizado DICA Br (www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT01620398). Os quatro grupos alimentares da dieta estudada foram adotados como componentes do índice. Os critérios para atribuir pontos foram definidos a priori com base nos princípios e recomendações da DICA Br. Cada componente do índice recebeu pontos que variam de 0 a 10, portanto a pontuação total variou de 0 a 40.

Background: The diet of the Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Programme (BALANCE) classified food into four groups and set the daily amount to be consumed. The nutritional aspects of BALANCE are different from other dietary recommendations, therefore it is not possible to use existing diet indexes (DI) to associate this diet with cardiovascular disease. Objective: To describe the development of BALANCE DI, evaluate its internal consistency, construct validity and population characteristics associated with the index. Methods: We analyzed baseline data from BALANCE randomized clinical trial (www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01620398). The four food groups of the studied diet were adopted as index components. Each index component received points ranging from 0 to 10 and the total score ranged from 0 to 40.