Question 2
What might be the reason that there were no significant associations between the consumption of cereal products and waist circumference?
posted by shelby @ 3:59 PM
13 comments
ISU Dietetic Internship Journal Club
Objective: To become familiar with current scientific literature on a variety of nutrition topics and to gain experience in gathering, organizing, critically evaluating, presenting and facilitating group discussion of the literature and the implications to practice.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
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13 Comments:
The association between the consumption of cereal products and waist circumference would most likely depend on the fiber content of the cereal. Based on previous findings, if a participant was consuming refined cereal, a positive correlation would most likely result whereas if he/she was consuming high fiber cereal, a negative correlation would most likely result. The amount of cereal being consumed would have to be taken into consideration and all other factors would have to be assessed such as the sugar, fat and protein content of each cereal.
There may not have been an association between the consumption of cereal products and waist circumference because people probably don't eat cereal in massive quantities like they do with foods like pizza, chips, and cookies. It's more likely that a person come home and eat an entire frozen pizza, while it's less likely that a person come home and eat an entire box of cereal. Plus, cereal doesn't contain as many calories per serving as the foods that were typically associated with a gain in waist circumference.
Anna,
I didn't really think about it, but it makes sense that fiber would play a role in the association of cereal consumption and waist circumference. With fiber in the picture, it's more difficult to overeat since satiety sets in sooner.
Jen,
I agree with your statement pertaining to cereal consumption at home. Most individuals probably only eat a bowl or two of cereal for breakfast or else they just snack on it throughout the day. I think that it is safe to say that when individuals go out to eat or order food in, they usually do not order cereal.
Cereal is one of those products people may or may not eat and it could also vary in product type. Many people don't even eat breakfast. If they do, they eat something different like eggs and toast or something along those lines. And then there are those, like myself, who don't eat the same cereal all the time. This could cause a flux in fiber and fat content, making it hard to find an association.
Jen --
That's a great point! Although we all know individuals that could live off of cereal, they are definitely not the norm. That and even the most caloric dense cereal is probably small in comparison to other items like a frozen pizza or chinese takeout. It would probably be harder to find a correlation to cereal since there are other items that would be a bigger concern.
One reason that there were no significant associations between cereal consumption and waist circumference is that many times cereal is a lower calorie/fat food item. Although many cereals are higher in sugar content, it is rare to see a cereal with a very high fat content (with the exception of granola). If a person were to choose to eat a bowl or two of cereal for supper (or any meal) over a pasta dish, pizza, burgers, etc.,then they probably would consume fewer calories and fat. So, because of the lower macronutrient content of most cereals, it may not have a significant association with waist circumference.
Another reason might be the possibility that people who eat cereal routinely may also tend to consume lot-fat foods anyway. This would be an interesting thing to look at - does the person who habitually eats cereal at breakfast also tend to eat low-fat lunches and dinners....and does the person who eats a higher calorie breakfast (eggs, bacon, etc.) tend to maintain that higher fat and calorie habit throughout the day?
I agree with all of your answers, especially Alison's. It would be my assumption that people who eat breakfast in general are usually healthier people because they are educated enough about healthy food choices to know that breakfast is very important to maintain optimal health. Cereal may not have any significant associations because of the wide variety in cereals out there. Did the survey include all cereals including hot (grits, oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc)? There is no way to compare the nutritional benefits of a bowl of oatmeal to a bowl of honeycombs. Another reason is that the serving size of cereals is so variable depending on the cereal, it is hard to judge how much people are actually eating. Serving size depends on the type of cereal, puffed, compact, wheat, etc. so that would alter the amount of consumption. A cereal bowl to one person is a soup bowl to another and a cup to another.
The article touched on pretty much every reason why abdominal adiposity was not significantly affected by refined or whole-grain cereals. For one, the measurements of waist circumference may be inaccurate and/or inconsistent. In addition, the subjects may not have been given enough specifics about what is a whole or refined grain. If one thought that they were consuming a whole-wheat bread just because it said “wheat bread” on it, when in actuality it was simply white bread with molasses added, than they would have been reporting false intakes of whole grains. Also, there may have been errors in the design of the questionnaire when it came to separating the refined from the whole-grains. I do not think that cereals should be completely ruled out as a contributor to abdominal adiposity until further research is one, and all possible errors are accounted for.
Rachel -
I agree with you. There typically isn't enough whole grains in American diets to prove whether or not they have a direct link to abdominal adipose tissue. It's too inconsistent to make any sound conclusions.
Cereal products often contain fiber, which helps to control body fat by allowing people to feel full faster, and therefore playing a role in waist circumference. In addition, even in cereals that aren't full of fiber, there are still typically fairly low in calories. Lower calorie foods equals lower total calorie consumption equals smaller waist circumference.
Alison,
That's a really great question. I wonder if people who consume lower fat/calorie breakfasts do typically eat lower fat/calories throughout the day? Also, I know several people who are content to eat cereal not only as a breakfast food, but as a meal at any point in the day. As established by Melissa, replacing traditionally higher calorie/fat dinner foods with cereal is a definite way to lower overall calorie and fat intake for the day.
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