Broad variations in dietary and physical activity patterns are part of nutritional transition concept. An additional nutritional transition has as main characteristic the change of consumption of processed foods for ultra-processed foods (UPF). This study aims to evaluate trends of UPF availability in Portuguese population and its association with diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCD) health indicators. This ecological study used data from the Household Budget Surveys conducted by the National Statistics Institute each 5 years within a national representative sample of households. The percentage of UPF was calculated based on the total daily amount of food and beverages available per capita (in grams). Data from the years 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005 were used, which were retrieved from DAFNE-Anemos Software. NCD age-standardised mortality, prevalence and incidence were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease database, for the years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. Between 1990 and 2005, the UPF availability increased from 3·9 % to 13·8 %. Over the years, almost all food and beverages categories increased the UPF availability contribution, mainly noticeable for milk, sugar, cereal and meat products. Positive correlations were observed between UPF availability and digestive diseases both in prevalence (r = 0·062; P = 0·037) and incidence (r = 0·005; P = 0·010) measures. Neoplasms incidence also showed positive correlation with UPF availability (r = 0·002; P = 0·012). Trends in UPF availability in Portugal increased exponentially. At the same time, there is a trend towards a decrease in unprocessed and processed food availability. The Portuguese population should be made aware of the health risks resulting from excessive consumption of UPF.

The accelerated phase of industrialisation and urbanisation in recent decades has inevitably brought about changes in the lifestyle of Malaysians. Changes in dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles are known to be associated with changes in health and increased prevalence of chronic diseases in the population. The objective of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the link between demographic variables and food consumption patterns related to the nutrition transition in Malaysia. This review uses various reports and publications from several ministries and selected local studies. The statistics compiled over the last two decades have shown that as the population achieves affluence, intakes of calories, fats and sugars increase, which may account for the substantial increase in food importation bills over the same period. Similarly, the rapid growth of the fast food industry during the last decade has added another dimension to the change in food consumption patterns of Malaysians. With the exception of a study on adolescents, the prevalences of overweight and obesity in children and adults are not strictly comparable due to the difference in body mass index (BMI) cut-off points in children and the study protocol in adults, and hence should not be misinterpreted as trends. The recent recommendation to lower the BMI cut-off points for Asians would only increase the magnitude of the existing prevalence among adults. The need to promote healthy nutrition for the population must be pursued vigorously, as the escalation of nutrition-related chronic degenerative diseases – once an urban phenomenon – has now spread to the rural population at an alarming rate. This paper indicates that the problem is real and needs urgent attention because it may be just the tip of the iceberg.