Development of a Dietary Factor Assessment Tool for Evaluating Associations between Visceral Fat Accumulation and Major Nutrients in Japanese Adults

Abstract

Background and Objectives. The increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome necessitates the establishment of tools for evaluating dietary factors associated with visceral fat accumulation and preventing visceral fat obesity. Here, we aimed to develop a dietary factor assessment tool for evaluating visceral fat accumulation. Methods. We conducted a dietary habit questionnaire survey and visceral fat measurement by bioelectrical impedance analysis in 11,438 adults (Survey 1) and a dietary habit questionnaire survey and dietary assessment based on 3-day meal records in 579 adults (Survey 2). Dietary habit factors were identified by factor analysis with varimax rotation, and their relationship with visceral fat accumulation and major nutrients were analyzed. Results. Factor analysis of the dietary habit questionnaire revealed the following five main dietary factors: “Appetite (15 questions),” “Healthy food choice (5 questions),” “Sedentary behavior (6 questions),” “Calorie restriction (5 questions),” and “Irregular mealtime (4 questions).” “Appetite” correlated positively with visceral fat accumulation and energy intake mainly from carbohydrate. “Healthy food choice” correlated negatively with visceral fat accumulation and positively with the protein/fat ratio, dietary fiber/carbohydrate ratio, and N-3 fatty acid/fat ratio. Dietary guidance to modify excess energy intake and increase nutritional balance might be effective toward preventing visceral fat accumulation. Conclusions. The dietary factor assessment tool developed in this study can be used to diagnose problems related to dietary habits and provide guidance for dietary modifications aimed at preventing visceral fat accumulation.

A Novel Method to Visualize the Dietary Macronutrient Composition of Smaller Visceral Fat Accumulation

“…On the other hand, for senior females, the effect of dietary PFC composition on VFA levels is not clear. The relationship between a higher ratio of %P to %F and lower VFA observed in young and middle-aged males is consistent with another study of the Japanese population (21). Moreover, studies indicating that Canadian subjects with a high protein diet have less body fat (24) and that European and Brazilian subjects in six studies with a high-protein diet have higher energy expenditure (25) are also consistent with our results.…”

“…Respondents aged 20 to 34 were defined as "young, " those 35 to 59 as "middle-aged, " and those 60 or older as "senior." Age 35 was set as a boundary because visceral fat begins to accumulate at approximately this age in the general Japanese population (21). Age 60 was set as a boundary for seniors because people typically begin to retire from full-time work at this age, and most women have reached menopause.…”

Eating Fast Is Associated with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Men But Not in Women with Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Eating speed was associated with carbohydrate/fiber intake in men. Previous studies revealed that carbohydrate/fiber intake is associated with metabolic syndrome [27] and visceral fat accumulation [42]. Thus, there is a possibility that poor diet quality in men with the habit of fast eating is the cause of the presence of NAFLD.…”

Association between Nutrients and Visceral Fat in Healthy Japanese Adults: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study Brief Title: Micronutrients Associated with Visceral Fat Accumulation

“…Some epidemiologic studies, including cross-sectional studies [10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19] and longitudinal studies [20,21,22,23,24], have investigated the association between nutritional components or foodstuff and VFA. These analyses indicated that only dietary fiber [17,21,23], carotenoid [15] and calcium [16,22] were negatively associated with VFA in terms of nutritional components.…”