Habitual polyphenol intake of foods according to NOVA classification: implications of ultra-processed foods intake (CUME study)

We aimed to evaluate the intake of dietary total polyphenols and their classes according to NOVA classification among adults of a Brazilian cohort study. This is a cross-sectional study, in which food consumption was assessed using an Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and polyphenol content (total and their classes) was estimated at Phenol-Explorer for each food category and presented as mean and 95% confidence interval. Adjusted linear regression was used to describe the trend of the association between the quintiles of polyphenols intake (dependent variable) and NOVA group of food consumption (independent variable). The higher consumption of fresh/minimally processed foods is accompanied by a higher intake of total polyphenols and all their classes, while the higher consumption of ultra-processed foods represented the lower intake of total polyphenols and their classes. Fresh foods are the greatest sources of polyphenols, and their daily consumption should be encouraged, while ultra-processed foods are deficient in such bioactive compounds.