Article type
Abstract
"Background: Several systematic reviews (SRs) have investigated the association between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and the risk of hypertension in various populations. However, the quality of the evidence remains unclear.
Objective: This umbrella review was thus conducted to fill this gap.
Methods: We searched for SRs with and without meta-analyses comparing high UPF versus low UPF consumption on the risk of hypertension in the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science from inception to August 2022. This study was registered in PROSPERO (No. CRD42022352934). The A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2) tool and the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis 2009 (PRISMA 2009) statement were used to evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of the included SRs. Stata 15/SE was used to reanalyze the data using the random-effects model, and the risk of bias of observational studies from included SRs was reassessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The certainty of the evidence body was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) recommendation.
Results: Seven SRs were included in the umbrella review. Among them, nine observational studies (5 cross-sectional and 4 cohort studies), whose available data were resynthesized using meta-analysis. The methodological and reporting quality of the included SRs were relatively poor. The meta-analysis results revealed suggestive evidence of an association between high UPF consumption and the incidence of hypertension (odds ratio: 1.23, 95% confidence interval: 1.11 to 1.37, p < 0.001, 95 prediction interval: 0.92 to 1.64, critically low certainty) compared to low UPF consumption (Figure 1).
Conclusion: High UPF consumption is associated with an increased risk of hypertension. However, well-conducted SRs including high-quality prospective cohort studies are needed to further verify these findings.
Funding statement: This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [Grant number: lzujbky-2021-ct06,lzujbky-2021-kb22]."
Objective: This umbrella review was thus conducted to fill this gap.
Methods: We searched for SRs with and without meta-analyses comparing high UPF versus low UPF consumption on the risk of hypertension in the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science from inception to August 2022. This study was registered in PROSPERO (No. CRD42022352934). The A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2) tool and the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis 2009 (PRISMA 2009) statement were used to evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of the included SRs. Stata 15/SE was used to reanalyze the data using the random-effects model, and the risk of bias of observational studies from included SRs was reassessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The certainty of the evidence body was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) recommendation.
Results: Seven SRs were included in the umbrella review. Among them, nine observational studies (5 cross-sectional and 4 cohort studies), whose available data were resynthesized using meta-analysis. The methodological and reporting quality of the included SRs were relatively poor. The meta-analysis results revealed suggestive evidence of an association between high UPF consumption and the incidence of hypertension (odds ratio: 1.23, 95% confidence interval: 1.11 to 1.37, p < 0.001, 95 prediction interval: 0.92 to 1.64, critically low certainty) compared to low UPF consumption (Figure 1).
Conclusion: High UPF consumption is associated with an increased risk of hypertension. However, well-conducted SRs including high-quality prospective cohort studies are needed to further verify these findings.
Funding statement: This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [Grant number: lzujbky-2021-ct06,lzujbky-2021-kb22]."