Abstract
The aim was to study the intake and food sources of fibre in a representative sample of Spanish adults and to analyse its association with excess body weight and abdominal obesity. A sample of 1655 adults (18–64 years) from the ANIBES (“Anthropometric data, macronutrients and micronutrients intake, practice of physical activity, socioeconomic data and lifestyles”) cross-sectional study was analysed. Fibre intake and dietary food sources were determined by using a three-day dietary record. Misreporters were identified using the protocol of the European Food Safety Authority. Mean (standard deviation) fibre intake was 12.59 (5.66) g/day in the whole sample and 15.88 (6.29) g/day in the plausible reporters. Mean fibre intake, both in the whole sample and the plausible reporters, was below the adequate intake established by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Institute of Medicine of the United States (IOM). Main fibre dietary food sources were grains, followed by vegetables, fruits, and pulses. In the whole sample, considering sex, and after adjusting for age and physical activity, mean (standard error) fibre intake (adjusted by energy intake) was higher in subjects who had normal weight (NW) 13.40 (0.184) g/day, without abdominal obesity 13.56 (0.192) g/day or without excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity 13.56 (0.207) g/day compared to those who were overweight (OW) 12.31 (0.195) g/day, p < 0.001 or obese (OB) 11.83 (0.266) g/day, p < 0.001, with abdominal obesity 12.09 (0.157) g/day, p < 0.001 or with excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity 12.22 (0.148) g/day, p < 0.001. There were no significant differences in relation with the fibre intake according to the body mass index (BMI), presence or absence of abdominal obesity or excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity in the plausible reporters. Fibre from afternoon snacks was higher in subjects with NW (6.92%) and without abdominal obesity (6.97%) or without excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity (7.20%), than those with OW (5.30%), p < 0.05 or OB (4.79%), p < 0.05, with abdominal obesity (5.18%), p < 0.01, or with excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity (5.21%), p < 0.01, in the whole sample. Conversely, these differences were not observed in the plausible reporters. The present study demonstrates an insufficient fibre intake both in the whole sample and in the plausible reporters and confirms its association with excess body weight and abdominal obesity only when the whole sample was considered.
Highlights
In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight (OW)and obesity (OB) in children and adults, in both developed and developing countries [1]
Relating to the fibre food sources, according to the presence or absence of excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity in the whole sample, we found that fibre from grains, breakfast cereals, and cereal bars, chocolates, ready-to-eat meals, sauces, and condiments, was higher in individuals without excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity than those with excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity, and fibre from vegetables was higher in individuals with excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity than those subjects without excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity, but all these differences disappeared when an adjustment for age and physical activity (PA) was performed (Table S5)
When the data were analysed according to the presence or absence of abdominal obesity using the waist to height ratio (WHtR), we found that the intake of fibre only in the whole sample was higher in those subjects without abdominal obesity
Summary
There has been a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight (OW)and obesity (OB) in children and adults, in both developed and developing countries [1]. Diet and physical activity are the main factors that influence the development of OW and OB [1,4] In this respect, several studies have shown that the intake of dietary fibre may have a positive effect on body weight control; the available results are inconsistent [5,6,7,8]. Among the most documented mechanisms is the one that refers to the benefits of the fibre capacity (mainly soluble fibre) to form viscous gels that delay the gastric emptying, which helps, on the one hand, to increase the satiety sensation and reduces energy intake [9] and, secondly, to control the postprandial glycaemia by delaying the intestinal absorption [10]. Another possible mechanism is associated with short-chain fatty acid produced during fermentation of fibre in the gastrointestinal tract [11]
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