(P23-084-23) Association Between Ultra-Processed Food Intake and Arthritis in US Adults: Evidence From NHANES 2009-2010

Objectives: Diet has been shown to affect the prevalence and activity of arthritis. However, the association between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and arthritis has not yet been thoroughly studied. This study aims to fill the gap and examine the association between UPF intake and the presence of self-reported arthritis and persistent pain.

Methods: We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010 data to analyze the association between UPFs and arthritis among 4,278 participants aged ≥ 20 years. UPFs were identified by applying the Nova classification to the day 1 24-hour diet recall data, and expressed as a percentage of daily total energy intake (TEI). The primary outcome was self-reported diagnosis of arthritis. The secondary outcome was the presence of persisting pain in the neck, hip, or back over the past six weeks. Survey-weighed logistic regression models were conducted to analyze the association between the intake of UPFs and the outcomes, controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking, diabetes status, health insurance availability, and poverty-to-income ratio. Additional analyses stratifying by arthritis diagnosis status were also carried out.

Results: Among participants (mean age 43 years), UPFs represented, on average, 57% of the TEI. The prevalence of self-reported arthritis and persisting pain in neck, hip, or back over the past six weeks was 21% and 31%, respectively. A 10% increase in UPF intake (TEI%) was associated with a greater prevalence of self-reported arthritis (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00 to 1.20). There was no statistical evidence of associations between UPF intake and recent persisting pain in the overall population (OR: 1.03; 95%CI: 0.98 to 1.07), nor in those with and without arthritis.

Conclusions: In this representative sample of adults from the United States, we found that over half of TEI was comprised of UPF. A greater consumption of UPFs was positively associated with self-reported arthritis, but not persisting musculoskeletal pain. Given the high prevalence of this disease in the general population, additional research on the role of UPFs on arthritis and its associated symptoms is warranted.

Funding Sources: NIH/NIMHD P50MD017348