The consumption of culinary preparations and ultra-processed food is associated with handgrip strength in teenagers.

Background: A nutrient-poor and hypocaloric diet may be associated with lower handgrip strength (HGS), whereas a high-quality or balanced diet may be associated with higher HGS. However, no study has used the NOVA system for classifying food by their degree of processing.

Objective: To analyze the association between food consumption according to the degree of food processing and HGS in Brazilian teenagers.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included teenagers aged 18 and 19 years old from the 1997/98 São Luís' birth cohort, Maranhão, Brazil. HGS (kilogram-force) was measured via a Jamar Plus + dynamometer. Food consumption was assessed using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. The energy intake of culinary preparations (unprocessed or minimally processed food and processed culinary ingredients), processed, and ultra-processed foods was evaluated in percentages and categorized in tertiles. The associations between each food group intake and HGS was estimated via crude and adjusted linear regression models. A directed acyclic graph was used to identify confounding factors.

Results: We evaluated 2,433 teenagers, 52.1% of which were girls. For boys, adjusted analysis showed an association between the highest HGS and the 3 tertile of culinary preparation consumption (β: 1.95; 95%CI: 0.80; 3.10) and between the lowest HGS and the 3 tertile of ultra-processed food consumption (β: -2.25; 95%CI: -3.40; -1.10). Among girls, the consumption of culinary preparations in the 3 tertile was associated with higher HGS (β: 0.76; 95%CI: 0.05; 1.46).

Conclusions: Higher consumption of culinary preparations and lower consumption of ultra-processed foods can contribute to reduce the chance of lower HGS in adult life. Interventions to promote the development and preservation of muscle strength should include dietary recommendations.