Ultra-processed food consumption and its association with the atherogenic index of plasma and blood lipid profile in adults: a cohort-based cross-sectional study

The advancement of technology and industry in the last century has affected human lifestyle and health. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), blood lipids, including triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). This is a cross-sectional study based on data from 3,285 participants of the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Employees’ Health Cohort. Demographic, anthropometric, biochemical, and nutritional information was collected by trained experts with validated questionnaires. Multiple-linear regression in crude and adjusted models was used to determine the associations. Participants had a mean age of 40.94 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 26.76 kg/m². The finding indicates that higher intake of UPFs significantly decreases the intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) (β: -0.019, P = 0.011) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (β: -0.032, P < 0.001). The results indicate that HDL (β: -0.003, P = 0.108) has a non-significant inverse association, whereas LDL (β: 0.002, P = 0.028) shows a significant direct association, and AIP (β: 0.120, P = 0.121) exhibits a non-significant direct association with the UPFs consumption. Forthermore, TC/HDL (β: 0.061, P = 0.011) and LDL/HDL ratios (β: 0.108, P = 0.002) also show direct associations with the UPFs intake. Our findings indicate that higher UPFs consumption can affect diet quality and contribute to dyslipidemia, highlighting the need for effective strategies to reduce UPFs intake.