Monica Ancira Moreno
Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico
Title: Association between diet quality and measurements of body fatness in Mexican adults
Biography
Biography: Monica Ancira Moreno
Abstract
Overweight is associated with an imbalance between energy expenditure and energy intake, but evidence on the association between Body Fatness (BF) and diet quality remains inconsistent. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between diet quality and BF in a sample of 208 Mexican adults (175 women and 37 men). To evaluate diet quality, we built a Diet Quality Score (DQS) based on the Mexican dietary guidelines and international recommendations. We included the following nutrients and food groups: 1) polyunsaturated fats (PUFAS) 2) added sugars 3) fruits and vegetables 4) red meat 5) low fat dairy products 6) legumes and 7) high in saturated fat and/or added sugar (HSFAS) foods. A value of 1 was assigned if the recommendation was met and 0 if the recommendation was not met for each of the seven individual recommendations. We defined the 3 following categories of adherence: low (0-2 points) medium (3-4 points) and high (>5 points). Percent Body Fat (PBF) was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis (InBody 270). The association between maternal diet and BF was investigated by multiple linear regression controlling for age, total energy intake, sex, gravity and menopausal status. Only in women, we identified a significant inverse association between the high adherence to DQS and PBF (βs = -8.6, 95% CI -16.4, -0.8, p<0.05) compared with the lowest adherence category (reference group), controlling for potencial confounders. In conclusion, nutritional counseling that incorporates diet quality based on adherence to dietary guidelines may prevent an excessive BF.