Abstract
High consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) has been related to short sleep duration, a risk factor for chronic disease. However, the temporality of the association remains unclear, especially among children. We assessed associations of adherence to dietary patterns and sleep duration in middle childhood longitudinally, among 729 participants in the Bogotá School Children Cohort. Four dietary patterns (UPF, traditional, animal protein, and cheaper protein) were identified through principal component analysis of a food frequency questionnaire. Sleep duration was assessed through parental report after a median 2 years of follow-up. Compared with children in the lowest quartile of UPF pattern adherence, those in the highest quartile slept an adjusted 0.39 hours less (95% CI: 0.10, 0.68; P trend = 0.004). Adherence to cheaper protein was non-linearly related to sleep duration. We conclude that adherence to a UPF dietary pattern is prospectively related to shorter sleep duration in children.