Characterizing Factors Associated with Excess Body Weight: A Descriptive Study Using Principal Component Analysis in...

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Metabolic Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Obesity is a complex, multifactorial global epidemic requiring effective prevention and treatment strategies.
• Understanding the interplay of various factors contributing to obesity is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a baseline cross-sectional study identifying key variables associated with overweight and obesity.
• To explore the relationships between dietary intake, physical activity, body composition, and cardiometabolic parameters in an obese population.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 84 overweight/obese subjects for a cross-sectional study.
• Collected dietary data via 24-hour recalls, measured resting metabolic rate (indirect calorimetry), physical activity (accelerometry), cardiometabolic markers (blood samples), and body composition (anthropometry, bioimpedance).
• Utilized principal component analysis (PCA) to identify underlying factors among 26 variables.

Main Results:

• Observed significant inter-individual variability in dietetic, biochemical, and physical activity measurements (CV ≥ 30%), with more uniform body composition.
• Identified four principal components explaining 65.4% of the variance: "dietetic factor" (24.0%), "cardiometabolic factor" (16.8%), "adiposity factor" (15.2%), and "serum cholesterol factor" (9.4%).
• The "dietetic factor," primarily linked to energy intake, lipids, and saturated fatty acids, emerged as the most significant contributor.

Conclusions:

• Dietary patterns, particularly high energy and lipid intake, play a dominant role in obesity.
• Obesity is characterized by distinct contributing factors including diet, cardiometabolic health, adiposity, and serum cholesterol levels.
• The findings underscore the importance of dietary interventions in managing obesity.