Differing statistical approaches affect the relation between egg consumption, adiposity, and cardiovascular risk...

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Understanding the link between dietary patterns and adiposity remains a challenge.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the relationship between egg consumption and body composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between egg consumption and measures of adiposity using two distinct statistical methods.
• To explore how specific food patterns incorporating eggs relate to body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC).

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 18,987 US adults (≥19 years) from the 2001-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
• Utilized 24-hour dietary recalls, BMI, and waist circumference (WC) to assess adiposity.
• Employed categorization (consumers vs. non-consumers) and cluster analysis to identify egg consumption patterns and their associations with adiposity and cardiovascular risk factors.

Main Results:

• Egg consumers exhibited higher mean BMI and WC compared to non-consumers.
• Cluster analysis revealed 8 distinct egg consumption patterns; two specific patterns (egg/meat, poultry, fish/grains/vegetables and egg/meat, poultry, fish/grains) were associated with increased BMI and WC.
• After controlling for covariates and other food groups, the egg/meat, poultry, fish/other-grains pattern remained linked to BMI and WC. Associations with diastolic blood pressure and LDL cholesterol were observed with other egg patterns but disappeared when fast food intake and diabetes medication use were included.

Conclusions:

• The interpretation of diet-health relationships is highly dependent on the chosen statistical methods and covariates.
• Specific dietary patterns involving egg consumption, alongside other food groups, may influence adiposity and cardiovascular risk factors.
• Further research is necessary to comprehensively understand the complex interplay between egg consumption, dietary patterns, and health outcomes.