The consumption of ultraprocessed foods is dominating the food system in Latin America, Chile being one of the countries with the greatest increase in the purchases of these products and the increase in the prevalence of obesity in the last decade. The objective of this study was to evaluate the consumption of ultraprocessed foods and their association with the added sugar content in the Chilean diet. The data source was the national survey of food consumption in the year 2010, using as consumption tool the R24 hours. The results showed that the consumption of ultraprocessed foods represents 28.9% of the total energy consumed and 58.6% of the addition sugar intake. The average consumption of added sugar increased from 7.7% to 19.7% through the quintiles in the consumption of ultraprocessed foods. For every 5% in the increase in consumption of ultraprocessed food increases 1% in addition sugar content. Individuals in the fifth largest consumption of ultraprocessed foods are three times more likely to exceed the 10% limit of added (WHO) sugar consumption compared to the lowest quintile.

Autor: Gustavo Andres Cediel Giraldo (Researcher)