Abstract
Examining dietary patterns provides an alternative approach to investigating dietary behaviors related to excess adiposity. The study aim was to investigate dietary patterns and body composition profiles of New Zealand European (NZE) women, participating in the women’s EXPLORE (Examining the Predictors Linking Obesity Related Elements) study. Post-menarche, pre-menopausal NZE women (16–45 years) (n = 231) completed a validated 220-item, self-administrated, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using measured height (cm) and weight (kg); body fat percentage (BF%) was measured using air displacement plethysmography (BodPod). Dietary patterns were identified using principal component factor analysis. Associations between dietary patterns, age, BMI and BF% were investigated. Four dietary patterns were identified: snacking; energy-dense meat; fruit and vegetable; healthy, which explained 6.9%, 6.8%, 5.6% and 4.8% of food intake variation, respectively. Age (p = 0.012) and BMI (p = 0.016) were positively associated with the “energy-dense meat” pattern. BF% (p = 0.016) was positively associated with the “energy-dense meat” pattern after adjusting for energy intake. The women following the identified dietary patterns had carbohydrate intakes below and saturated fat intakes above recommended guidelines. Dietary patterns in NZE women explain only some variations in body composition. Further research should examine other potential factors including physical activity and socioeconomic status.
Highlights
The prevalence of obesity has significantly risen both in New Zealand (NZ) and worldwide, with 32% of all females in NZ classified as obese [1]
The New Zealand European (NZE) women had an average age of 31.9 years, a median Body Mass Index (BMI) of 24 kg/m2 and a mean BF% of 32.6% (Table 1)
After adjusting for energy intake, no dietary patterns were significantly associated with BMI or BF%
Summary
The prevalence of obesity has significantly risen both in New Zealand (NZ) and worldwide, with 32% of all females in NZ classified as obese [1] It is well-established that obesity is a major risk factor for many health conditions including but not limited to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, osteoarthritis, sleep apnoea, psychological and social problems, and some cancers [2]. Routinely used in epidemiological studies and by health professionals, BMI is an imperfect measure of body fatness [5]. It speculates that at any given height, a higher weight correlates to a larger body fat percentage (BF%) and a higher risk of morbidity and mortality [6]. It is estimated that more than half of Nutrients 2016, 8, 450; doi:10.3390/nu8080450 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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