Blood pressure variation in children with obesity and consumption of ultra-processed foods

Abstract Objectives Investigate the influence in UPF consumption, assessed through dietary and urinary markers, on systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure in children with obesity. Methods Longitudinal analysis from a randomized clinical trial carried out with children with obesity aged 7 to 12 years. For six months, children and guardians attended monthly individual consultations and educational activities to encourage a reduction in UPF consumption. Body weight, height, blood pressure, and 24-hour dietary recall were measured at all visits. Random urine samples were collected at baseline, at the second and fifth-month follow-up. Results A total of 96 children were included in the analysis. Energy, UPF intake and blood pressure showed a quadratic pattern change, with a decrease in the first two months and an increase thereafter. There was an association between the consumption of UPF and DBP. Intake of UPF was correlated to urinary Na/K ratio (r = 0.29; p = 0.008) and with dietary Na/K ratio (r = 0.40; p ≤ 0.001). For every 100g of increase in UPF, DBP increased by 0.28mmHg (p-value = 0.01) and with further adjustment for change in BMI, the increase was 0.22mmHg (p-value = 0.04). Conclusions Our findings indicated that UPF intake and not obesity had a greater contribution to the change in DBP, as an additional adjustment for BMI did not influence the results. Therefore, reducing UPF consumption can be a good preventive strategy against hypertensionin.