Early consumption of ultra-processed foods among children under two years old in Brazil.

Objective To evaluate the complementary food consumption according the extent and purpose of food processing based on NOVA classification among children aged 6 to 24 months of Federal District, Brazil. Design We performed a cross-sectional study using a 24-hour recall to estimate the daily energy intake and nutrients according to NOVA classification. We conducted a linear regression to assess the association between the processed and ultra-processed-foods (UPF) energy intake and the daily energy intake from saturated fat, daily energy intake from total sugars and daily intake of sodium. Setting Federal District, Brazil. Participants 538 children between 6 to 24 months attended at Primary Health Care Units from March 2017 to March 2018. Results On average, children aged from 6 to 12 and from 12 to 24 months consumed 572 and 969 Kcal/day, respectively, and processed and UPF represented one third of dietary energy intake. Group 2 (processed and UPF) were higher carbohydrate contributors, and lower protein, fiber and most micronutrient contributors, when compared with group 1 (unprocessed, minimally processed foods and processed culinary ingredients). In addition, the higher the energy intake from processed and UPF, the higher was the intake of daily energy intake from saturated fat, daily energy intake from total sugar and daily intake of sodium. Conclusion Children are being exposed early to processed and UPF and their share affect the diet's nutritional quality.