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Energy density of foods, but not beverages, is positively associated with body mass index in adult women

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 63, pages 1411–1418 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Energy density (kJ/g) may have a strong influence on energy balance. Although beverages are a considerable source of energy in the United States diet, rarely have studies among free-living populations investigated the energy density of foods (EDF) and the energy density of beverages (EDB) simultaneously. We examined the independent simultaneous associations of EDF and EDB on energy intake and body mass index (BMI) in adult women.

Subjects/Methods:

This cross-sectional design focused on 348 elementary school employees randomly selected at baseline of a worksite wellness trial in southeastern Louisiana. Two 24-h recalls were collected, and measured heights and weights were converted into BMI (kg/m2).

Results:

Those in the highest EDF tertile consumed more energy and had higher BMIs than those in the lowest tertile (P<0.05). Employees in the highest EDB tertile consumed more energy than those in the lowest, yet there was no difference in BMIs between the two groups. Multivariate regression, with controls for demographic and health variables, confirmed the positive association between EDF and BMI; a 1 kJ/g increase in EDF was associated with a 0.39 kg/m2 increase in BMI (P=0.038). Models that did not control for EDB gave estimates of EDF that were 8–10% lower.

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that EDF and EDB have important, yet distinct, functions in energy intake and BMI. Future studies should evaluate both types of energy density as independent predictors as our results suggest that EDB can confound the association of EDF with BMI.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (HL079509). We thank the ACTION school employees for their participation in the study, and gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the ACTION staff members to the data collection effort.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food Research and Action Center, Washington, DC, USA

    H L Hartline-Grafton

  2. Department of Community Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    H L Hartline-Grafton, D Rose & C C Johnson

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    J C Rice & L S Webber

Authors
  1. H L Hartline-Grafton
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  2. D Rose
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  3. C C Johnson
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  4. J C Rice
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  5. L S Webber
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to D Rose.

Additional information

Guarantors: HL Hartline-Grafton and D RoseContributors: HLH and DR contributed to the conception and design of the study. HLH was one of the three dietary interviewers and had primary responsibility for data analysis and manuscript preparation. DR, CCJ, and LSW provided contributions to manuscript preparation and overall study design. DR and JCR oversaw the data analysis.

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Hartline-Grafton, H., Rose, D., Johnson, C. et al. Energy density of foods, but not beverages, is positively associated with body mass index in adult women. Eur J Clin Nutr 63, 1411–1418 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2009.102

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