Abstract
Objective: This study characterized habitual dietary protein intake in healthy young adults entering military service and explored whether diet protein density is associated with diet quality and micronutrient intake.Methods: An FFQ was used to estimate habitual dietary intake and calculate HEI scores in 276 males [mean(SD), age:21.1y(3.8)] and 254 females [age:21.2y(3.7)]. Multivariate-adjusted MANCOVA and ANCOVA models were used to identify associations between protein density quartiles and HEI scores and micronutrient intake. Higher HEI components scores for sodium, refined grains, and empty calories indicate lower intake; higher scores for all other components indicate higher intakes.Results: Mean(SD) energy-adjusted protein intakes were 29.3(3.2), 36.0(1.4), 40.8(1.3), and 47.9(3.9) g/1,000 kcal for protein density quartiles 1–4, respectively. For males, empty calorie scores as well as dark green and orange vegetable scores were higher in quartiles 3 and 4 than 1 and 2 (all, p < 0.05). Scores for total vegetable, dairy, and total protein foods were lower in quartile 1 vs. quartiles 2, 3, and 4 (all, p < 0.05). Sodium scores decreased as quartiles increased (p < 0.001). Total HEI, fruit, whole grains, seafood and plant protein, fatty acids, and refined grain scores did not differ. For females, total HEI, vegetable, and total protein foods scores were higher in quartiles 3 and 4 than 1 and 2 (all, p < 0.05). Empty calorie scores increased as quartile increased (p < 0.05). Dairy scores were higher in quartiles 2, 3, and 4 than 1 (p < 0.05). Whole fruit scores were lowest in quartile 1 (p < 0.05). Whole grain as well as seafood and plant protein scores were higher in quartile 4 vs. 1 (both, p < 0.05). Sodium scores decreased as quartile increased (p < 0.001). Fatty acids scores did not differ. For males and females, micronutrient intakes progressively increased across quartiles with the exception of calcium and vitamin C, (all, p < 0.05). Intakes remained nearly the same when controlled for fruit and vegetable intake.Conclusion: These cross-sectional data suggest that habitually consuming a higher protein density diet is associated with better scores for some, but not all, diet quality components in males, better overall diet quality scores in females, and greater intakes of micronutrients in both male and female healthy, young adults entering military service.
Highlights
Dietary protein recommendations are established as the minimum amount of dietary protein intake necessary to maintain nitrogen balance [1]
Optimizing diet quality is important for populations whose health and physical performance are critical to occupational success and resilience to injury and stressors associated with unaccustomed physical training, including healthy young adults entering initial military training [9,10,11]
It is possible that increasing the protein density of the diet may be related to better overall food choices that contribute to better diet quality and micronutrient intake
Summary
Dietary protein recommendations are established as the minimum amount of dietary protein intake necessary to maintain nitrogen balance [1]. As a result, consuming a higher protein-dense diet, defined as consuming more energy from protein-containing whole foods without increasing total energy intake, may enhance diet quality and improve micronutrient intake [1, 6]. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020 recently identified several micronutrients that are often underconsumed and are considered shortfall nutrients [12]. These include potassium, choline, magnesium, calcium, vitamins A, D, E, and C [12], which serve critical roles in bone health, blood pressure regulation, cancer, and cardiovascular disease prevention [13,14,15,16]. Whether consuming higher amounts of total energy as protein-containing
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