Ultra-Processed Food Consumption Patterns and Their Association with Lipid Profiles in Sedentary Adults
Keywords:
yslipidemia, lipid profile, sedentary behavior, triglycerides, ultra-processed foodsAbstract
Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption has been increasingly associated with adverse cardiometabolic outcomes, while prolonged sedentary behavior may further contribute to unfavorable lipid metabolism. This study aimed to examine the association between UPF intake and fasting lipid profiles among sedentary adults. A cross-sectional analytical framework was applied using a synthetic dataset of 240 adults aged 18–59 years with high sedentary exposure. UPF intake was classified using the NOVA system and expressed as the percentage of total daily energy intake. Participants were categorized into tertiles of UPF intake, and total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) were evaluated. Multivariable linear regression adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, alcohol intake, total energy intake, dietary fiber, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. In the synthetic analysis, higher UPF intake was associated with progressively higher TC, LDL-C, and TG and lower HDL-C. Each 10-percentage-point increase in UPF-derived energy corresponded to 5.11 mg/dL higher TC (95% CI: 2.34–7.88), 4.33 mg/dL higher LDL-C (95% CI: 2.02–6.64), 14.71 mg/dL higher TG (95% CI: 11.17–18.26), and 2.05 mg/dL lower HDL-C (95% CI: −3.00 to −1.10), with all modeled associations at p<0.001. These synthetic findings illustrate a plausible pattern in which greater UPF consumption is associated with a less favorable lipid profile among sedentary adults. Empirical prospective studies using actual participant data are required to confirm these relationships.
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