AUTHOR=dos Santos João Victor Laurindo , de Melo Ingrid Sofia Vieira , Costa Clara Andrezza Crisóstomo Bezerra , de Almeida Layanne Cabral , Silva Dafiny Rodrigues , Ferro Débora Cavalcante , Paula Déborah Tenório Costa , Macena Mateus de Lima , Bueno Nassib Bezerra 

TITLE=Association Between Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Cognitive Performance Among Adolescent Students From Underdeveloped Cities in Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 69 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2024.1607658

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2024.1607658

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=The association between ultra-processed foods (UPF) consumption and cognitive performance needs to be better characterized in adolescents, especially in low-income settings, where the cost of human capital is high. This study investigated the association between cognitive performance and UPF in adolescents from the countryside of the Brazilian Northeast.Methods: Adolescents (15 -18 years old) from three public high schools were included. Food intake was assessed using three 24-hour dietary recalls. The classification of foods as UPF was determined according to the Nova classification. Cognitive performance was evaluated using the Non-Verbal General Intelligence Test.Results: 116 adolescents were included, of which 50 (43.1%) showed low cognitive performance. The average energy intake was 1973.5 kcal, with 24.2% coming from UPF. Participants with low cognitive performance consumed 26.5% (95%CI:[22.2; 30.7]%) of daily energy intake from UPF compared to 22.5% ([18.8; 26.2]%) of those with medium-high cognitive performance (P = 0.17), without differences in energy and macronutrient intake.Despite similar UPF consumption compared to the Brazilian average, no association was found between UPF consumption and cognitive performance in this low-income adolescent sample.