National pattern of grain products consumption among Canadians in association with body weight status

Abstract

Background: Obesity in Canadian adults is showing upward trends. Consumption of whole-grains is one recommendation for the prevention of obesity. Despite the apparent nutritional and energy content differences between whole and refined grains, knowledge relating refined grains to weight gain in Canadian adults is scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the consumption of specific grain-based foods at the regional and national levels, and to evaluate the association between grain consumption with overweight or obesity in Canadian adults. Methods: We used the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey data. The association between type of grain product consumed and Body Mass Index (BMI) in adults aged ≥19y was evaluated by logistic regression. Results: The mean daily intake of whole grains (86 ± 1.9 g/day) was significantly less than refined grains (276.6 ± 3.8 g/ day), which was different across provinces. After adjustment for caloric needs, male consumers showed significantly lower intake of whole grains than females. Accordingly, the incidence of overweight or obesity was higher in males than in females. Also, in comparison to whole grains, the consumption of refined grains was associated with a higher risk of overweight or obesity among adults. Conclusion: Canadians' preference was refined grain products consumption, based on 2004 Health Survey, which was significantly associated with overweight/obesity. Hence, consumption of whole grains should be more effectively promoted rather than refined grain products to prevent obesity and its complications such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.

Breakfast in Canada: Prevalence of Consumption, Contribution to Nutrient and Food Group Intakes, and Variability across Tertiles of Daily Diet Quality. A Study from the International Breakfast Research Initiative

“…When breakfast intakes were expressed relative to breakfast’s contribution to daily energy intake, breakfasts consumed by all age groups contributed positively to intakes of milk and alternatives and grain products (especially whole grains) but under-contributed to intakes from the vegetables and fruits and meat and alternatives food groups. Canadian diets generally provide intakes of meat and alternatives and grain products that are close to the recommendations of Canada’s Food Guide [ 43 ] (although intakes of whole grains are considerably less than the recommended 50% of grain products [ 44 ]) while intakes from the vegetables and fruit and the milk and alternatives food groups generally fall below recommendations [ 43 ]. Thus, intakes of food groups at breakfast appeared to help mitigate observed shortfalls in meeting food group recommendations, although this was not true for the total vegetables and fruit group: while breakfast contributed positively to intakes of fruit and fruit juice relative to the rest of the day for the population as a whole, intakes of vegetables at breakfast were extremely low (data not shown; mean intake at breakfast was 3% of total daily vegetable intake).…”

Consumption Patterns of Grain-Based Foods among Adults in Canada: Evidence from Canadian Community Health Survey—Nutrition 2015

“…However, our analysis put this figure at 25.9%, which could be related to the different data collection methods used in CCHS-2004 and CCHS-2015 [35]. Additionally, our analyses indicated that about 80% of Canadian adults do not consume the recommended number of GBFs servings recommended by the Canada’s Food Guide released in 2007 [21]. If we consider the Canadas’ new food guide suggesting most of the grain intakes should be from whole grain [36] in 2015, a considerable proportion of Canadians had consumption patterns of GBFs that were far from the recommended patterns of grain consumption by Health Canada.…”

“…The analyses of the CCHS cycle 2.2 conducted by our team indicated whole grains contribute to only one-third of Canadians GBFs diets [21]. However, there have been no studies examining the detailed consumption patterns of GBFs and the contribution of these foods to the nutrient intakes of Canadian adults (aged 19 years and older).…”

Canadians’ Dietary Intake from 2007 to 2011 and across Different Sociodemographic/Lifestyle Factors Using the Canadian Health Measures Survey Cycles 1 and 2

“…The intake from the grains group was much lower in CHMS (2007–11) compared to CCHS 2.2 [3]. This is probably due to not including the following grain products in the CHMS FFQ food list, which are among the commonly consumed grain products in Canada [19]: quinoa, bulgur, oatmeal, cornmeal, barley, buckwheat, rye, amaranth, millet, sorghum, triticale, couscous, pretzels, popcorn, crackers, pancakes, and waffles [19, 20]. Further, the CHMS FFQ does not cover intake from aggregated foods such as pizza, which are generally not easily captured by the FFQ method [21].…”