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BACKGROUND: Ultra-processing makes food products more convenient, appealing, and profitable. Recent studies show that high ultra-processed food (UPF) intake is associated with the cardio-metabolic disease.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between UPF consumption and risk of kidney function decline in the general population.METHODS: In a prospective general population-based Lifelines cohort from Northern Netherlands, 78 346 participants free of chronic kidney disease (CKD) at baseline responded to a 110-item food frequency questionnaire. We used multivariable regression analysis to study the association of the proportion (in gram/day) of UPF in the total diet with a composite kidney outcome (incident CKD or a ≥ 30% eGFR decline relative to baseline) and annual change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).RESULTS: On average, 37.7% of total food intake came from UPF. After 3.6 ± 0.9 years of follow-up, 2 470 participants (3.2%) reached the composite kidney outcome. Participants in the highest quartile of UPF consumption were associated with a higher risk of the composite kidney outcome (OR 1.27, [95% CI: 1.09, 1.47], P = 0.003) compared with those in the lowest quartile, regardless of macro/micronutrient intake or diet quality. Participants in the highest quartile had a more rapid eGFR decline (β -0.17, [95% CI: -0.23, -0.11], P < 0.001) compared with those in the lowest quartile. Associations were generally consistent across different subgroups.CONCLUSIONS: Higher UPF consumption was associated with a higher risk of a composite kidney outcome (incident CKD or ≥ 30% eGFR decline) and a more rapid eGFR decline in the general population, independent of confounders and other dietary indices.

Background The overall consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) has previously been associated with type 2 diabetes. However, due to the substantial heterogeneity of this food category, in terms of their nutritional composition and product type, it remains unclear whether previous results apply to all underlying consumption patterns of UPF. Methods Of 70,421 participants (35–70 years, 58.6% women) from the Lifelines cohort study, dietary intake was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. UPF was identified according to the NOVA classification. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to derive UPF consumption patterns. The associations of UPF and adherence to UPF consumption patterns with incidence of type 2 diabetes were studied with logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, diet quality, energy intake, alcohol intake, physical activity, TV watching time, smoking status, and educational level. Results During a median follow-up of 41 months, a 10% increment in UPF consumption was associated with a 25% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes (1128 cases; OR 1.25 [95% CI 1.16, 1.34]). PCA revealed four habitual UPF consumption patterns. A pattern high in cold savory snacks (OR 1.16 [95% CI 1.09, 1.22]) and a pattern high in warm savory snacks (OR 1.15 [95% CI 1.08, 1.21]) were associated with an increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes; a pattern high in traditional Dutch cuisine was not associated with type 2 diabetes incidence (OR 1.05 [95% CI 0.97, 1.14]), while a pattern high in sweet snacks and pastries was inversely associated with type 2 diabetes incidence (OR 0.82 [95% CI 0.76, 0.89]). Conclusions The heterogeneity of UPF as a general food category is reflected by the discrepancy in associations between four distinct UPF consumption patterns and incident type 2 diabetes. For better public health prevention, research is encouraged to further clarify how different UPF consumption patterns are related to type 2 diabetes.

Blood lipids play a critical role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, and they are closely related to dietary factors. However, the associations between blood lipids-related dietary patterns and risk of type 2 diabetes are controversial and not fully clear. In this study, we aimed to derive dietary patterns that explained variation in blood lipids and to investigate their associations with incident type 2 diabetes.The analysis was based on 39,000 women and 25,777 men participating in the Lifelines cohort study (aged 18-65 years, mean 43.2 years for women and 43.5 years for men). Dietary intake was measured using a 110-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Reduced rank regression was used to derive dietary patterns with blood lipids (HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and total cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol ratio) as response variables for women and men separately. The first dietary pattern identified for each sex was selected because they explained the largest variance in blood lipids. The associations between the identified dietary patterns and incident type 2 diabetes were subsequently investigated using multivariate logistic regression models. All analyses were performed separately for women and men.During an average follow-up of 43 months, 479 new cases (incidence 0.74%) of type 2 diabetes were identified. Using reduced rank regression, we identified two sex-specific blood lipids-associated dietary patterns characterized by high intake of sugary beverages, added sugar, and low intake of vegetables, fruits, tea, and nuts/seeds. These two sex-specific dietary patterns were similar in food groups but differed in factor loadings. High dietary pattern scores were associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes after adjustment for age, total energy intake, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, and blood pressure (ORs for the fifth quintile [Q5] using the first quintile [Q1] as reference, 1.87 [95% CI 1.23, 2.83] for women [P-trend 0.001], and 1.72 [95% CI 1.11, 2.66] for men [P-trend = 0.018]). The associations were attenuated but remained significant after further adjustment for lifestyle and socio-economic factors.Dietary patterns associated with adverse blood lipids are associated with incidence of type 2 diabetes. The present study provides new insights in optimizing blood lipids for the prevention of type 2 diabetes through dietary approaches.

BackgroundRenal transplant recipients (RTRs) have a 6-fold higher risk of mortality than age- and sex-matched controls. Whether high consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with survival in RTRs is unknown.ObjectivesWe aimed to study the association between high consumption of ultra-processed foods and all-cause mortality in stable RTRs.MethodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study in adult RTRs with a stable graft. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated 177-item FFQ. Food items were categorized according to the NOVA classification system and the proportion ultra-processed foods comprised of total food weight per day was calculated.ResultsWe included 632 stable RTRs (mean ± SD age: 53.0 ± 12.7 y, 57% men). Mean ± SD consumption of ultra-processed foods was 721 ± 341 g/d (28% of total weight of food intake), whereas the intake of unprocessed and minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, and processed foods accounted for 57%, 1%, and 14%, respectively. During median follow-up of 5.4 y [IQR: 4.9–6.0 y], 129 (20%) RTRs died. In Cox regression analyses, ultra-processed foods were associated with all-cause mortality (HR per doubling of percentage of total weight: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.46, 3.10; P < 0.001), independently of potential confounders. This association was independent from the quality of the overall dietary pattern, expressed by the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) score. When analyzing ultra-processed foods by groups, only sugar-sweetened beverages (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.39; P = 0.007), desserts (HR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.49; P = 0.03), and processed meats (HR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.22, 2.86; P = 0.004) were associated with all-cause mortality.ConclusionsConsumption of ultra-processed foods, in particular sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts, and processed meats, is associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality after renal transplantation, independently of low adherence to high-quality dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02811835.