Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods by Pesco-Vegetarians, Vegetarians, and Vegans: Associations with Duration and Age at Diet Initiation

There is a growing availability of industrial plant-based meat and dairy substitutes that can be classified as ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Very little is known about the consumption of UPFs by vegetarians. The aim of this cross-sectional study, from the NutriNet-Santé cohort, was to describe the contribution of UPFs to different vegetarian diets, in relation to the nutritional quality of their diet, and determinants of UPF consumption, including duration and age at vegetarian diet initiation. The study population (n = 21,212) was divided into 4 groups: 19,812 meat eaters, 646 pesco-vegetarians, 500 vegetarians, and 254 vegans. Daily food intakes were collected using repeated 24-h dietary records. Vegetarian diets were described by the proportion of energy from UPFs and the nutritional quality of the diet using healthy and unhealthy plant-based diet indices (PDIs). In a subsample without meat eaters (n = 1,400), a multivariable linear regression model was performed to study the association between UPF consumption and its determinants. Higher avoidance of animal-based foods was associated with a higher consumption of UPFs (P