Dietary Intake at 9 Years and Subsequent Body Mass Index in Adolescent Boys and Girls: A Study of Monozygotic Twin Pairs

Abstract

There is a lack of evidence pointing to specific dietary elements related to weight gain and obesity prevention in childhood and adulthood. Dietary intake and obesity are both inherited and culturally transmitted, but most prospective studies on the association between diet and weight status do not take genetics into consideration. The objective of this study was to document the association between dietary intake at 9 years and subsequent Body Mass Index (BMI) in adolescent monozygotic boy and girl twin pairs. This research used data from 152 twin pairs. Dietary data were collected from two 24-hour-recall interviews with a parent and the child aged 9 years. Height and weight were obtained when the twins were aged 9, 12, 13, and 14 years. Intrapair variability analysis was performed to identify dietary elements related to BMI changes in subsequent years. BMI-discordant monozygotic twin pairs were also identified to analyze the dietary constituents that may have generated the discordance. After eliminating potential confounding genetic factors, pre-adolescent boys who ate fewer grain products and fruit and consumed more high-fat meat and milk had higher BMIs during adolescence; pre-adolescent girls who consumed more grain products and high-fat meat and milk had higher BMIs during adolescence. Energy intake (EI) at 9 years was not related to BMI in subsequent years. Our study suggests that messages and interventions directed at obesity prevention could take advantage of sex-specific designs and, eventually, genetic information.

Whole-Fat or Reduced-Fat Dairy Product Intake, Adiposity, and Cardiometabolic Health in Children: A Systematic Review

“…Differing associations by sex were also noted in a prospective study of genetically identical twin pairs with shared environments ( 48 ). Variation in dietary intake at age 9 y between sets of twins was compared with subsequent differences in BMI at age 14 y.…”

Associations between milk fat content and obesity, 1999 to 2016

“…Research indicates beverage type, such as sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs), is associated with child weight status; but when it comes to milk, results are mixed. Some studies demonstrate low consumption of milk in childhood is a risk factor for obesity, while others indicate the opposite . A recent comprehensive review found no evidence that milk consumption contributes to obesity risk among adolescents; however, the authors note less evidence to support this conclusion among children less than 8 years of age .…”

“…Some studies demonstrate low consumption of milk in childhood is a risk factor for obesity, [9][10][11][12] while others indicate the opposite. 13,14 A recent comprehensive review found no evidence that milk consumption contributes to obesity risk among adolescents; however, the authors note less evidence to support this conclusion among children less than 8 years of age. 15 A study of the association of dairy and adiposity in China, one of the few non-Western nations represented in this literature, similarly found no association between dairy consumption and weight status among adolescents.…”

Prevalence of obesity and overweight among primary school children in a district of Istanbul, Turkey

“…Unexpectedly, obesity frequency was significantly higher in the group consuming three or more fruits per day compared to the group consuming less than three fruits per day. In a study of monozygotic twin pairs, lower consumption of fruit showed an association with higher BMIs [21]. In a longitudinal study, relative risk of becoming or remaining overweight/obese compared to the normal weight status increased when fruit and vegetable consumption increased [7].…”