Abstract
Objective:
Dietary intake is strongly influenced by the energy density of the diet. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of energy density with diet quality, dietary reference intake (DRI) for energy and lifestyle characteristics in free-living people.
Subjects:
The subjects were Spanish men (n=1491) and women (n=1563) selected in between 1999 and 2000 among the general population according to the 1996 census.
Results:
A low-energy density diet was significantly associated (P<0.001) with a higher consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish and white meat as compared to high-energy density diets. More subjects (P<0.001) with a high adherence to low-energy density diets meet DRI for energy intake and tended to be closer (P<0.05) to the recommendations of dietary intakes, established by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition than those following a high-energy density diet. Alcohol consumption, the prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle and smoking significantly increased (P<0.01) across quartile distribution of energy density.
Conclusion:
Low-energy density diets of the present population were associated with a healthier lifestyle. Furthermore, our data suggest that adherence to low-energy density diets, with similar characteristics to those found in the present population, promote adequate energy intakes and increase overall diet quality.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Whitt MC, Irwin ML, Swartz AM, Strath SJ (2000). Compendium of physical activities: an update of activity codes and MET intensities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 32, S498–S504.
Bell EA, Castellanos VH, Pelkman CL, Thorwart ML, Rolls BJ (1998). Energy density of foods affects energy intake in normal-weight women. Am J Clin Nutr 67, 412–420.
Bell EA, Rolls BJ (2001). Energy density of foods affects energy intake across multiple levels of fat content in lean and obese women. Am J Clin Nutr 73, 1010–1018.
Brown WJ, Williams L, Ford JH, Ball K, Dobson AJ (2005). Identifying the energy gap: magnitude and determinants of 5-year weight gain in midage women. Obes Res 13, 1431–1441.
Christiansen E, Garby L, Sorensen TI (2005). Quantitative analysis of the energy requirements for development of obesity. J Theor Biol 234, 99–106.
Cox DN, Mela DJ (2000). Determination of energy density of freely selected diets: methodological issues and implications. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 24, 49–54.
Crowe TC, Fontaine HL, Gibbons CJ, Cameron-Smith D, Swinburn BA (2004). Energy density of foods and beverages in the Australian food supply: influence of macronutrients and comparison to dietary intake. Eur J Clin Nutr 58, 1485–1491.
Cuco G, Arija V, Marti-Henneberg C, Fernandez-Ballart J (2001). Food and nutritional profile of high energy density consumers in an adult Mediterranean population. Eur J Clin Nutr 55, 192–199.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans. US Department of Health and Human Services. US Department of Agriculture, 2005: http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines.
Darmon N, Briend A, Drewnowski A (2004). Energy-dense diets are associated with lower diet costs: a community study of French adults. Public Health Nutr 7, 21–27.
Drewnowski A, Almiron-Roig E, Marmonier C, Lluch A (2004). Dietary energy density and body weight: is there a relationship? Nutr Rev 62, 403–413.
Elosua R, Garcia M, Aguilar A, Molina L, Covas MI, Marrugat J (2000). Validation of the Minnesota leisure time physical activity questionnaire in Spanish women. Investigators of the MARATDON group. Med Sci Sports Exerc 32, 1431–1437.
Elosua R, Marrugat J, Molina L, Pons S, Pujol E (1994). Validation of the Minnesota leisure time physical activity questionnaire in Spanish men. The MARATHOM investigators. Am J Epidemiol 139, 1197–1209.
Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes (2002). Dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids. National Academy Press: Washington DC.
Gillis LJ, Kennedy LC, Gillis AM, Bar-Or O (2002). Relationship between juvenile obesity, dietary energy and fat intake and physical activity. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 26, 458–463.
Howarth NC, Murphy SP, Wilkens LR, Hankin JH, Kolonel LN (2006). Dietary energy density is associated with overweight status among 5 ethnic groups in the multiethnic cohort study. J Nutr 136, 2243–2248.
Kant AK, Graubard BI (2005). Energy density of diets reported by American adults: association with food group intake, nutrient intake, and body weight. Int J Obes (Lond) 29, 950–956.
Lang R, Jebb SA (2003). Who consumes whole grains, and how much? Proc Nutr Soc 62, 123–127.
Ledikwe JH, Blanck HM, Kettel KL, Serdula MK, Seymour JD, Tohill BC et al. (2006a). Dietary energy density is associated with energy intake and weight status in US adults. Am J Clin Nutr 83, 1362–1368.
Ledikwe JH, Blanck HM, Khan LK, Serdula MK, Seymour JD, Tohill BC et al. (2006b). Low-energy-density diets are associated with high diet quality in adults in the United States. J Am Diet Assoc 106, 1172–1180.
Marlett JA, McBurney MI, Slavin JL (2002). Position of the American Dietetic Association: health implications of dietary fiber. J Am Diet Assoc 102, 993–1000.
Marti-Henneberg C, Capdevila F, Arija V, Perez S, Cuco G, Vizmanos B et al. (1999). Energy density of the diet, food volume and energy intake by age and sex in a healthy population. Eur J Clin Nutr 53, 421–428.
Masia R, Pena A, Marrugat J, Sala J, Vila J, Pavesi M et al. (1998). High prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in Gerona, Spain, a province with low myocardial infarction incidence. REGICOR investigators. J Epidemiol Community Health 52, 707–715.
Mendoza JA, Drewnowski A, Christakis DA (2007). Dietary energy density is associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome in US adults. Diabetes Care 30, 974–979.
Parker DR, Gonzalez S, Derby CA, Gans KM, Lasater TM, Carleton RA (1997). Dietary factors in relation to weight change among men and women from two southeastern New England communities. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 21, 103–109.
Poppitt SD, Prentice AM (1996). Energy density and its role in the control of food intake: evidence from metabolic and community studies. Appetite 26, 153–174.
Rolls BJ, Roe LS, Beach AM, Kris-Etherton PM (2005). Provision of foods differing in energy density affects long-term weight loss. Obes Res 13, 1052–1060.
Rolls BJ, Roe LS, Meengs JS (2004). Salad and satiety: energy density and portion size of a first-course salad affect energy intake at lunch. J Am Diet Assoc 104, 1570–1576.
Rolls BJ, Roe LS, Meengs JS (2006). Reductions in portion size and energy density of foods are additive and lead to sustained decreases in energy intake. Am J Clin Nutr 83, 11–17.
Ruidavets JB, Bataille V, Dallongeville J, Simon C, Bingham A, Amouyel P et al. (2004). Alcohol intake and diet in France, the prominent role of lifestyle. Eur Heart J 25, 1153–1162.
Schroder H, Covas MI, Marrugat J, Vila J, Pena A, Alcantara M et al. (2001). Use of a three-day estimated food record, a 72-h recall and a food-frequency questionnaire for dietary assessment in a Mediterranean Spanish population. Clin Nutr 20, 429–437.
Schroder H, Marrugat J, Covas M, Elosua R, Pena A, Weinbrenner T et al. (2004). Population dietary habits and physical activity modification with age. Eur J Clin Nutr 58, 302–311.
Schroder H, Marrugat J, Elosua R, Covas MI (2003). Relationship between body mass index, serum cholesterol, leisure-time physical activity, and diet in a Mediterranean Southern-Europe population. Br J Nutr 90, 431–439.
Serra-Majem L, Aranceta J (2001). Nutritional objectives for the Spanish population. Consensus from the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition. Public Health Nutr 4, 1409–1413.
Shenkin A (2006). The key role of micronutrients. Clin Nutr 25, 1–13.
Steffen LM, Jacobs Jr DR, Stevens J, Shahar E, Carithers T, Folsom AR (2003). Associations of whole-grain, refined-grain, and fruit and vegetable consumption with risks of all-cause mortality and incident coronary artery disease and ischemic stroke: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Am J Clin Nutr 78, 383–390.
Stookey JD (2001). Energy density, energy intake and weight status in a large free-living sample of Chinese adults: exploring the underlying roles of fat, protein, carbohydrate, fiber and water intakes. Eur J Clin Nutr 55, 349–359.
Stubbs CO, Lee AJ (2004). The obesity epidemic: both energy intake and physical activity contribute. Med J Aust 181, 489–491.
Stubbs J, Ferres S, Horgan G (2000). Energy density of foods: effects on energy intake. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 40, 481–515.
Thiele S, Mensink GB, Beitz R (2004). Determinants of diet quality. Public Health Nutr 7, 29–37.
Tur JA, Romaguera D, Pons A (2004). Adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern among the population of the Balearic islands. Br J Nutr 92, 341–346.
Willett WC Nutritional Epidemiology. Oxford University Press: Oxford 1998.
World Health Organization (2000). Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO consultation. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser 894, i-253.
Acknowledgements
We would like to appreciate the English revision made by Ms Stepnaie Lonsdale. Supported by Grant CP 03-00115 from the Instiuto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), by Grant 2FD097-0297-CO2-01 from Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) and partially supported by Grant ALI-97-1607-CO2-01 and AGL-2000-0525-CO2-01 from Comisión Interministral de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CICYT).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Consortia
Corresponding author
Additional information
Guarantor: H Schröder.
Contributors: HS led data analysis and writing of the manuscript. JM and MC participated in the discussion and interpretation of results, and writing of the manuscript. RE and JM provided their expertise in data analysis and in interpretation and discussion of results. They made substantial suggestions on the manuscript.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schröder, H., Covas, M., Elosua, R. et al. Diet quality and lifestyle associated with free selected low-energy density diets in a representative Spanish population. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 1194–1200 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602843
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602843
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Position statement on nutrition therapy for overweight and obesity: nutrition department of the Brazilian association for the study of obesity and metabolic syndrome (ABESO—2022)
Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome (2023)
-
Who is at risk of irregular meal intake? Results from a population-based study
Journal of Public Health (2011)
-
Dietary energy density as a marker of dietary quality in Swedish children and adolescents: the European Youth Heart Study
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010)