Nutrient patterns and their relationship with general and central obesity in US adults

Despite growing evidence on the associations between nutrient patterns and obesity, very few studies have examined the association between patterns of nutrient intake and obesity.

To identify major nutrient patterns in U.S. adults and investigate their association with general and central obesity.

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants from 2005 to 2012 were included. General obesity was defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m2, and central obesity as a waist circumference >102 cm for men and >88 cm for women. Intakes of 60 nutrients were calculated. Factor analysis was applied to derive the major nutrient patterns. Statistical analyses accounted for the survey design and sample weights.

Overall 24,182 eligible individuals including 8155 with general obesity and 11730 with central obesity were included. Three nutrient patterns explaining 50.8% of the variance in dietary nutrients consumption, were identified. The odds of all types of obesity increased across quarters of the first nutrient patterns (mostly representative of saturated/mono-unsaturated fatty acids), such that the fourth quarter was associated with odds ratio of 1.31 (95%CI: 1.13-1.51) for general obesity and 1.47 (95%CI: 1.30-1.66) for central obesity, relative to the first quarter. The second nutrient patterns (mostly representative of micro nutrients and vitamins) was associated with lower odds of general [0.32 (95%CI: 0.61-0.77]) or central obesity [0.31 (95%CI: 0.62-0.78).

Nutrient patterns may have deleterious or protective effects on the risk of general and central obesity, with implication for food-based strategies to prevent and control obesity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.