Background

Although recent studies have suggested the adverse effects of processed foods on cardiovascular disease, few studies have been conducted on the effects of food processing on cardiovascular health (CVH) in Koreans.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the associations of minimally processed foods (MPF) and ultra-processed foods (UPF) intakes with CVH.

Methods

We used the data of 6945 adults (≥19) from the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. MPF and UPF intakes were based on the NOVA food classification. Using Life’s simple 7 (LS7) proposed by the American Heart Association, the CVH indicator was estimated as the sum (0–12) of the scores of six components. Multiple linear and multinomial logistic regressions were used to estimate the associations between processed food intakes and CVH.

Results

The mean (standard error) of MPF and UPF intake was 61.28 (0.28) and 20.27 (0.24) %kcal/day, respectively. After adjusting for sex, age, household income, educational attainment, family history of CVD, and stress, we found significant positive associations between MPF intake and CVH (p value < 0.001), while associations between UPF intake and CVH were significantly negative (p value < 0.001). Moreover, the magnitude of the observed association was more distinctive in females (p-interaction < 0.01) and with increasing age (p-interaction < 0.001).

Conclusions

A high intake of MPF is associated with improved CVH, while a high intake of UPF is associated with poorer CVH in Korean adults. Therefore, public health policies should be established to promote the choice of less processed foods to improve CVH among South Korean adults.

Impact Statement

• In modern society, processed foods have become ubiquitous and South Korea’s consumption of processed foods is very high. This study had shown that the more processed a food is, the more negative impact it can have on cardiovascular health. Therefore, researching the effects of processed foods on the human body can increase understanding of population health and aid in the development of prevention and treatment strategies.

中文翻译：

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韩国成年人最低加工和超加工食品摄入量与心血管健康的关联：韩国国家健康和营养检查调查 (KNHANES VI)，2013-2015

背景

尽管最近的研究表明加工食品对心血管疾病有不利影响，但很少有人研究食品加工对韩国人心血管健康（CVH）的影响。

客观的

本研究旨在调查微加工食品 (MPF) 和超加工食品 (UPF) 摄入量与 CVH 的关系。

方法

我们使用了第六次韩国国家健康和营养检查调查中 6945 名成年人（≥19 岁）的数据。 MPF 和 UPF 摄入量基于 NOVA 食品分类。使用美国心脏协会提出的 Life's simple 7 (LS7)，CVH 指标被估计为六个组成部分的分数之和 (0-12)。使用多重线性和多项逻辑回归来估计加工食品摄入量与 CVH 之间的关联。

结果

MPF 和 UPF 摄入量的平均值（标准误差）分别为 61.28 (0.28) 和 20.27 (0.24) %kcal/天。在调整性别、年龄、家庭收入、教育程度、CVD家族史和压力后，我们发现MPF摄入量与CVH之间显着正相关（p值<0.001），而UPF摄入量与CVH之间显着负相关（p值 < 0.001)。此外，观察到的关联程度在女性中更为明显（p交互作用<0.01），并且随着年龄的增长（p交互作用<0.001）。

结论

在韩国成年人中，MPF 的高摄入量与 CVH 的改善相关，而 UPF 的高摄入量与 CVH 的较差相关。因此，应制定公共卫生政策，促进选择加工较少的食品，以改善韩国成年人的 CVH。

影响报告

• 现代社会，加工食品已经无处不在，韩国加工食品的消费量非常高。这项研究表明，食品加工程度越高，对心血管健康的负面影响就越大。因此，研究加工食品对人体的影响可以增加对人群健康的了解，并有助于制定预防和治疗策略。