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Do we eat less fat, or just report so?

International Journal of Obesity volume 24, pages 435–442 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine secular trends in diet reporting error.

METHODS: Dietary information was obtained from 228 Danish men and women in 1987–88, and from 122 men and women in 1993–94.

RESULTS: Bias in dietary reporting of energy and protein intake was assessed by comparing reported intake with intake data, estimated from 24 h nitrogen output, validated by administering P-aminobenzoic acid, and estimated 24 h energy expenditure. Total energy was under-reported more than energy from protein at both surveys, suggesting that energy from other nutrients, like fat and/or carbohydrate, must have been under-reported too. There was a greater under-reporting for energy than for protein in 1993–94 (29%) than in 1987–88 (15%). Obesity was positively associated with under-reporting, both in 1987–88 and in 1993–94.

CONCLUSION: The higher macro-nutrient specific error in 1993–94 compared to 1987–88 may reflect a trend to increasingly omitting fat and/or carbohydrate-rich foods in dietary reporting. This may be a consequence of increased awareness of diet intake, which, in turn, may be related to intensified public health campaigns to reduce intake of fat and/or simple carbohydrate. These results may have consequences for our understanding of the apparent decline in dietary fat and associated health benefits.

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Acknowledgements

The project was supported by grants from the Danish Agricultural and Veterinary Research Council, the Danish Medical Research Council, the Danish Research Agency (FREJA), the Danish Health Insurance Foundation and Wedell-Wedellsborgs Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine CF, Unit for Dietary Studies at the The Copenhagen County Centre for Preventive Medicine, Glostrup University Hospital, Denmark

    BL Heitmann & M Osler

  2. Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen Hospital Corporation, H:S Copenhagen Municipal Hospital, Denmark

    BL Heitmann

  3. Research Department of Human Nutrition, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark

    BL Heitmann

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Centre for Nutritional Epidemiology, Göteborg University, Göteberg, Sweden

    L Lissner

  5. Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    M Osler

Authors
  1. BL Heitmann
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  2. L Lissner
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  3. M Osler
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Correspondence to BL Heitmann.

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Heitmann, B., Lissner, L. & Osler, M. Do we eat less fat, or just report so?. Int J Obes 24, 435–442 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801176

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