Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33021623›Full record

ArticleThe American journal of clinical nutrition2021

Association between ultraprocessed food intake and cardiovascular health in US adults: a cross-sectional analysis of the NHANES 2011-2016.

Zefeng Zhang, Sandra L Jackson, Euridice Martinez, Cathleen Gillespie, Quanhe Yang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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  6. The British journal of nutrition · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Zefeng ZhangDivision for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Sandra L JacksonDivision for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Euridice MartinezDepartment of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Cathleen GillespieDivision for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Quanhe YangDivision for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Funding

Intramural CDC HHS CC999999
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHigher intake of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) might be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

objectivesOur objective was to examine the association between usual percentage of calories (%kcal) from UPFs and the American Heart Association's "Life's Simple 7" cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics in US adults.

methodsWe analyzed data from 11,246 adults aged ≥20 y from the NHANES 2011-2016 (a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey). UPF designation was assigned on the basis of the NOVA classification system, according to the extent and purpose of food processing. Each CVH metric was given a score of 0, 1, or 2 representing poor, intermediate, or ideal health, respectively. Scores of the 6 metrics (excluding diet) were summed, and CVH was categorized as inadequate (0-4), average (5-8), or optimum (9-12). We used the National Cancer Institute's methods to estimate the usual %kcal from UPFs, and multivariable linear and multinomial logistic regression to assess the association between UPFs and CVH, adjusted for age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, education, and poverty.

resultsThe weighted prevalence of inadequate, average, and optimum CVH was 8.0%, 51.7%, and 40.3%, respectively. The mean usual %kcal from UPFs was 55.4%, and midpoint of quartiles of intake ranged from 40.4% (quartile 1) to 70.5% (quartile 4). Every 5% increase in calories from UPFs was associated with 0.14 points lower CVH score (P < 0.001). The adjusted ORs for inadequate CVH were 1.40 (95% CI: 1.23, 1.60), 1.82 (1.45, 2.29), and 2.57 (1.79, 3.70), respectively, comparing quartiles 2, 3, and 4 with quartile 1 of UPF intake. The pattern of association was largely consistent across subgroups.

conclusionsUsual %kcal from UPFs represented more than half of total calorie intake in US adults. A graded inverse association between %kcal from UPFs and CVH was observed.

Indexed as

Feeding BehaviorFood HandlingAdultAgedCardiovascular DiseasesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHealth StatusHumansMaleMiddle AgedNutrition SurveysUnited StatesYoung Adultcardiovascular healthNHANESodds ratioultraprocessed foodsusual percentage of calories

Identifiers

PMID33021623
PMCPMC10097423

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.