Ultra-Processed Food Consumption Associated with Incident Hypertension among Chinese Adults—Results from China Health and Nutrition Survey 1997–2015

Abstract

Objective: Ultra-processed food (UPF) has been shown to increase the cardiometabolic health risks. We aimed to determine the association between UPF intake based on the NOVA classification and the risk of hypertension incidence during 1997–2015. Methods: Data from 15,054 adults aged ≥ 20 years (47.4% males) attending the China Nutrition and Health Survey (CNHS) were used. Food intake at each survey was assessed by a 3-day 24 h dietary recall and weighed food record method between 1997–2011. Cox regression was used to assess the association between UPF intake and incident hypertension. Results: During a mean average of 9.5 years (SD 5.5) of follow up, 4329 hypertension incident cases were identified. The incident rates (per 1000) for non-consumers and 1–49, 50–99, and ≥100 g/day of UPF intake were 29.5 and 29.5, 33.4, and 36.3, respectively. Compared with non-consumers, the hazard ratios (95% CI) for UPF intake of 1–49, 50–99, and >100 g/day were 1.00 (0.90–1.12), 1.17 (1.04–1.33), and 1.20 (1.06–1.35), respectively, (p = 0.001) after adjusting for potential confounding factors. There was a significant interaction between UPF intake and age with a higher risk in the younger group (<40 years) than in the older one. Conclusion: UPF consumption was dose-responsively associated with increased risk of hypertension among Chinese adults, especially in younger groups.