August Article Summary

Dietary Predictors of 5-Year Changes in Waist Circumference Continuing Education
Jytte Halkjær, Anne Tjønneland, Kim Overvad, Thorkild I.A. Sørensen

Abdominal obesity is associated with an increase in many life threatening diseases as well as increasing mortality rates. Because of this, it has become a topic of interest for research to determine if modifiable factors, like diet, make changes in abdominal obesity. Many studies to this point have looked at the macronutrient levels focusing on fat intake and alcohol. The results of previous research on this topic have been inconsistent.

Invited to participate in this study was a group of people who had no previous cancer diagnosis (57,053) aged 50-64. The final study population consisted of 22.570 women and 20.126 men. Each of these subjects had baseline anthropometrics taken by trained individuals and the follow-up measurements were done at home. A 192-item food frequency questionnaire was filled out to obtain information about the participant’s dietary intake. Since a similar study had been executed using alcohol the researchers used the information as a covariate instead or an exposure variable in this study. Other potential covariates (smoking and exercise) were looked at as well. Associations between food intake and the difference in waist circumference, BMI, and other variables were analyzed using a multiple linear regression model.

During the follow-up period there was an increase in the median waist circumference in both men and women. However, there were differences between each gender in which food items affected the waist circumference. For women waist circumference was inversely related to the consumption of red meat, vegetable, fruit, butter, and high fat dairy products. For men waist circumference was inversely related to red meat and fruit. Women’s intake of potatoes, processed meat, poultry, and snack foods showed a positive association with increase abdominal fat, whereas men, showed increases in abdominal fat from snack food consumption. Based on the results, the researchers suggest future investigation of food patterns rather than individual food items/groups in relation to waist circumference is more relevant and may reveal a better association.
http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/0002-8223/PIIS0002822309006373.pdf
http://www.adajournal.org/article/PIIS0002822309006373/fulltext

Lifestyle correlates of anthropometric estimates of body adiposity in an Italian middle-aged and elderly population: a covariance analysis.
By: Leite, M. L. C.; Nicolosi, A.

Limitations that BMI has on determining an individuals body fat was addressed in this study.
The article agrees that there are currently contradictory results from studies using behavioral or dietary patterns and the connection between abdominal obesity. Unlike the other study, these researchers look at other factors that may effect abdominal obesity, like socioeconomic status and education.

This study looked at a sample population of 1415 individuals aged 40-74. Dietary intake was determined using a food frequency questionnaire and anthropometric data was gathered. Unlike the other study, this study only looked at fat and fiber. Other variables like smoking and alcohol consumption were also addressed. This study used an analysis of variance as well as linear regression. The results of this study found that although BMI was similar for both men and women, women had a higher level of subcutaneous fat and men had a greater waist circumference. Waist circumference for men was increased with a higher fat diet and there was a strong negative correlation between women’s consumption of fiber and waist circumference.

Although both articles looked at lifestyles and abdominal body fat, they both had different results and conclusions. However one thing that they both had in common was that habits that are modifiable are directly connected to obesity. In addition, both studies found that there is a difference between how dietary choices and lifestyle effect both men and women.
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.ilstu.edu/ehost/pdf?vid=10&hid=5&sid=49c706c3-d99c-445d-a9b9-1c8d31fe39e2%40sessionmgr4