Abstract
BackgroundPrevious studies have suggested that choline and betaine are associated with improved anthropometric measures including, BMI and waist circumference however, results are largely inconsistent and limited studies exist in children. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between dietary choline and betaine, and anthropometric measurements among Iranian children.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, dietary information was collected for 788 six-year-old children, who attended Tehran health centers in 2018. We measured dietary intakes using a valid and reliable semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The USDA database was used to calculate dietary choline and betaine. We assessed anthropometric characteristics, physical activity, and socio-demographic status based on a reliable and valid protocol. Logistic regression adjusted for energy, physical activity, socio-economic status, and maternal age, physical activity, BMI, and HEI2015 was used to assess this association.ResultsFree choline, glycero-phospho-choline, phospho-choline, phosphatidyl-choline, total choline, and total betaine, and choline were not related to overweight, obesity, underweight and wasting in the crude and adjusted model after controlling for children’s energy intake, children’s physical activity, socio-economic status, maternal physical activity, and BMI. Betaine intake was associated with mid-arm circumference and risk of overweight.ConclusionsWe did not find any evidence to support the association between dietary choline with anthropometric measurements among Iranian children. Further prospective studies with a large sample size in different populations are needed.
Highlights
Previous studies have suggested that choline and betaine are associated with improved anthropometric measures including, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference results are largely inconsistent and limited studies exist in children
After adjusting for potential confounders, including participant energy intake, physical activity, socioeconomic status (SES), maternal age, physical activity, BMI, and Healthy Eating Index 2015 score (HEI2015), there was no significant association between total choline, and risk of wasting (OR: 1.00; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.35–2.89), obesity (OR: 0.94; 95% CI 0.33–2.71), overweight/obesity (OR: 1.08; 95% CI 0.74–1.56), and underweight/wasting (OR: 1.04; 95% CI 0.63–1.73)
Our findings demonstrate that free choline, glycero-phospho-choline, phosphocholine, phosphatidyl choline, total choline, total betaine, and total betaine and choline were not related to overweight/obesity and underweight/wasting in Iranian sixyear-old girls
Summary
Previous studies have suggested that choline and betaine are associated with improved anthropometric measures including, BMI and waist circumference results are largely inconsistent and limited studies exist in children. A double burden exists which suggests children who experience underweight or wasting are at a higher risk for developing noncommunicable diseases later in life, or suffering from undernutrition or nutrition deficiency, which can lead to the development of infectious disease [11]. A meta-analysis showed a distinct parent-child resemblance in anthropometric measurements [15] and a different umbrella review reported that family-based interventions were helpful for obesity and weight management [16]. Together, this suggests that maternal influence and characteristics are important considerations for weight management programs and research
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