Consumption of ultra-processed food and blood pressure in the first trimester of overweight pregnant women: a cross-sectional analysis of a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: to investigate the association between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and blood pressure (BP) in overweight pregnant women. Methods: secondary analysis of the baseline of a randomized controlled trial including 311 overweight pregnant women. Blood pressure was obtained as the mean of three measurements using an automatic monitor. Dietary intake was assessed using two 24-hour recalls, and food was classified according to the processing degree (NOVA), with UPF identification based on ingredient lists and homemade recipe composition. The association between the percentage of energy (%E) consumption of UPF and BP was evaluated using linear regression, adjusted for confounding factors defined by a directed acyclic graph (DAG). Results: younger, single, nulliparous, and former smoker pregnant women had higher %E of UPF. The subgroups that contributed the most to energy intake of UPF were sugar-sweetened beverages (16.53%), processed meats (14.48%), and cookies and crackers (10.95%). No association was observed between %E of UPF and systolic BP (β=0.04; 95%CI= -0.085, 0.167; p=0.52) or diastolic BP (β=0.05; 95%CI= -0.045, 0.153; p=0.28) after adjustment for confounding factors. Conclusion: no association was observed between %E of UPF and BP in early pregnancy among overweight women.