Dietary energy density predicts women's weight change over 6 y

Abstract

Background Dietary energy density (ED) is positively associated with energy intake, but little is known about long-term effects on weight change. Objective We assessed whether dietary ED predicts weight change over 6 y among a sample of non-Hispanic, white women. Design Participants were part of a 6-y longitudinal study (n = 186), assessed at baseline and biennially. ED (in kcal/g) was calculated from the energy content of all foods (excluding beverages) with the use of three 24-h recalls. Height and weight were measured in triplicate to calculate body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2). Repeated measures (PROC MIXED) were used to examine the influence of ED on weight change, before and after adjusting for initial weight status. Food choices were examined among subjects consuming low-, medium-, and high-ED diets at study entry. Results ED did not change across time for a subject. ED was positively associated with weight gain and higher BMI over time; this association did not vary by BMI classification. Food group data showed that, compared with women consuming higher-ED diets, women consuming lower-ED diets reported significantly lower total energy intakes and consumed fewer servings of baked desserts, refined grains, and fried vegetables and more servings of vegetables, fruit, and cereal. Women consuming lower-ED diets ate more meals at the table and fewer meals in front of the television. Conclusions Findings indicate that consumption of a lower-ED diet moderates weight gain, which may promote weight maintenance. Consuming lower ED diets can be achieved by consuming more servings of fruit and vegetables and limiting intake of high-fat foods.

Effects of snack consumption for 8 weeks on energy intake and body weight

“…This is indeed supported by two longitudinal studies, in which women on a HED diet gained more weight after 6-8 years than women on a LED diet. 28,29 Similarly, two long-term weight loss trials showed that weight loss in overweight and obese subjects was highest when the diet was low in energy density. 30,31 Because we provided all groups with the same amounts of energy, the LED groups received more foods in terms of weight and volume than HED groups.…”

Girls’ picky eating in childhood is associated with normal weight status from ages 5 to 15 y

“…Twenty-four-hour dietary recall interviews were conducted by telephone at the Dietary Assessment Center at the Pennsylvania State University as described by Savage et al (15). Trained staff administered interviews with the use of the computerassisted Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R) software (database version 4.01_30; Nutrition Coordinating Center, University of Minnesota).…”

“…The NDS-R time-related database updates analytic data while maintaining nutrient profiles that are true to the bastion used for data collection. Reliability in interviewers is based on an interclass correlation $0.95 (15,16).…”

Dietary energy density and the metabolic syndrome among Iranian women

“…Besides total energy intake, dietary energy density (kcal/g) defined as the amount of energy in a given weight of food has received considerable attention in recent years as one of the main determinants of alarming obesity trends (WHO/FAO, 2003). Although some studies have failed to find any significant association between consumption of energy-dense diets and obesity (De Castro, 2004;Iqbal et al, 2006;Du et al, 2009), others have reported a significant positive association (Howarth et al, 2006;Ledikwe et al, 2006aLedikwe et al, , 2007Mendoza et al, 2007;Bes-Rastrollo et al, 2008;Savage et al, 2008). Such significant findings have also been confirmed by clinical trials, where reduction in dietary energy density has been resulted in significant weight loss (Ello-Martin et al, 2007).…”