Pediatric Highlight
International Journal of Obesity (2007) 31, 1061–1067; doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803551; published online 20 February 2007
Dietary energy density increases during early childhood irrespective of familial predisposition to obesity: results from a prospective cohort study
T V E Kral1, R I Berkowitz1,2, A J Stunkard1, V A Stallings3,4, D D Brown1 and M S Faith1,2
- 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- 2Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- 3Division of GI, Hepatology and Nutrition, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- 4Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Correspondence: Dr TVE Kral, Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 3535 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. E-mail: tkral@mail.med.upenn.edu
Received 9 June 2006; Revised 19 October 2006; Accepted 24 November 2006; Published online 20 February 2007.
Abstract
Objective:
This study compared 4-year changes in daily energy density (ED; kcal/g) in children born at different risk for obesity, characterized the stability of ED and examined associations between ED and child body composition.
Design:
Prospective cohort study to measure habitual dietary ED of children who are born at different risk for obesity.
Subjects:
Children who were born at high risk (n=22) or low risk (n=27) for obesity based on maternal pre-pregnancy weight.
Measurements:
Three-day food records were collected from children's mothers at child ages 3, 4, 5 and 6 years. Three categories of ED were computed (food only, food and milk, and food and all beverages) and body composition assessed at each year.
Results:
The mean (
s.e.m.) ED increased over time across all children (linear trend: P<0.003): 2.180.07 to 2.320.06 kcal/g (food only); 1.660.07 to 1.820.06 kcal/g (food and milk); and 1.240.04 to 1.370.05 kcal/g (food and all beverages). Intraindividual coefficients of variation were smaller than those previously reported for adults. Weight indices were not correlated with dietary ED (P>0.05).
Conclusion:
Dietary ED increased in young children, irrespective of their predisposition to obesity, between the ages of 3 and 6 years. The genes that promote childhood obesity may not exert their influence through dietary ED, which may be more strongly influenced by environmental factors.
Keywords:
energy density, obesity risk status, body composition, children
