Validity of a Self-Administered Food-Frequency Questionnaire for Assessing Amino Acid Intake in Japan: Comparison With Intake From 4-Day Weighed Dietary Records and Plasma Levels.

Motoki Iwasaki,Ribeka Takachi,Hidemi Todoriki,Hiroshi Miyano,Shoichiro Tsugane,Junko Ishihara,Taiki Yamaji,Hiroshi Yamamoto

doi:10.2188/jea.je20150044

Abstract

BackgroundInterest in the physiological roles of amino acids and their impact on health outcomes is substantial and growing. This interest has prompted assessment of the habitual intake of amino acids for use in epidemiologic studies and in clarifying the association between habitual intake and plasma levels of amino acids. Here, we investigated the validity of ranking individuals according to dietary amino acid intake as estimated using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in comparison with intakes from dietary records (DRs) and plasma levels.MethodsA total of 139 men and women selected from examinees of the cancer screening program at the Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening, National Cancer Center, Japan, provided 4-day weighed DRs, a semi-quantitative FFQ, and plasma samples. Plasma levels of amino acids were measured using the UF-Amino Station system.ResultsSpearman rank correlation coefficients of energy-adjusted intake of amino acids from the DR and FFQ ranged from 0.40 to 0.65 for men and from 0.35 to 0.46 for women. Correlation coefficients of energy-adjusted intake from the DR and plasma levels ranged from −0.40 to 0.25 for men and from −0.16 to 0.11 for women. Similarly, no significant positive correlation coefficients were observed between intake from the FFQ and plasma levels for either men or women.ConclusionsWe confirmed that this FFQ has moderate validity in estimating amino acid intake when 4-day weighed DRs are used as a reference method, suggesting that it is suitable for ranking individuals living in urban areas in Japan by amino acid intake.

Highlights

The physiological roles of amino acids and their impact on health outcomes continue to attract strong research interest
Other examples include the associations between compromised insulin action and altered metabolism of amino acids,[2] in which higher plasma levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are associated with the presence of obesity and visceral fat accumulation.[3,4]
We previously developed a comprehensive database of the amino acid content of foods using substitution methods and evaluated the validity of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in estimating dietary amino acid intake among two populations in a validation study for the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study (JPHC study).[6]

Summary

Introduction

The physiological roles of amino acids and their impact on health outcomes continue to attract strong research interest. These research trends motivated us to assess the habitual intake of amino acids for use in epidemiologic studies and to clarify associations between habitual intake and the plasma levels of amino acids. Interest in the physiological roles of amino acids and their impact on health outcomes is substantial and growing This interest has prompted assessment of the habitual intake of amino acids for use in epidemiologic studies and in clarifying the association between habitual intake and plasma levels of amino acids. Results: Spearman rank correlation coefficients of energy-adjusted intake of amino acids from the DR and FFQ ranged from 0.40 to 0.65 for men and from 0.35 to 0.46 for women. Conclusions: We confirmed that this FFQ has moderate validity in estimating amino acid intake when 4-day weighed DRs are used as a reference method, suggesting that it is suitable for ranking individuals living in urban areas in Japan by amino acid intake

Methods

Results

Conclusion