The Relationships between Energy Balance Deviations and Adiposity in Children and Adolescents

Background: Over the past decade obesity has doubled in children aged 6-11 and tripled among adolescents aged 12-19. One trend that has coincided with this increased obesity prevalence is decreased meal frequency, which may impact blood sugar, meal size, cortisol release, insulin release, and appetite controls that include the release of leptin and ghrelin. Ultimately, these changes may result in a simultaneous lowering of the metabolic (i.e., fat-free) mass and a rising of the fat mass. Purpose: To assess food/beverage intake in a way that would determine if large deviations in energy balance (EB) during the day were related to body fat percent (BF%). Methods: Using an IRB-approved protocol, male and female children were assessed using NutriTiming® (NutriTiming LLC, 2011) software, which simultaneously assesses energy intake from consumed foods and beverages and energy expenditure from activities with different intensities. A 24-hour recall questionnaire and interview, with at least one parent present, was used to obtain data, which represented a typical school day. BF% was assessed using an 8-mode bioelectrical impedance segmental body composition analyzer (Tanita, Model BC-418). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS (ver. 18). Results: A total of 16 children ranging in age from 8-14 years were interviewed. Due to incomplete data on 4 subjects, 12 subjects (6 boys; 6 girls ranging in age from 9-14 years; mean=11.41 ± 1.5) were included in the data analysis. Energy intakes averaged 1,984 ± 510 kcal; and energy expenditure averaged 1,689 ± 351 kcal. Average BF% was 24.3 ± 4.9. Using Spearman correlation and independent group t-test (with the mean energy balance as the cut-point) traditional end-of-day energy balance (24-hr energy in vs. 24-hr energy out) was not statistically associated with body fat %, and there was no difference in BF% between those above and below the end-of-day EB mean. However, more hours spent in an energy surplus (EB \u3e 0) was significantly associated with lower body fat % (r=-0.914; P

Depression and Physical Activity Affect Diet Quality of Foreign-born Latina Women Living on the U.S.-Mexico Border

There is increasing evidence that depression may affect diet. However, little is known about the association between depression and diet quality among foreign-born Latinas. We hypothesized that depressive symptoms would be associated with poorer diet quality in foreign-born Latinas. Furthermore, we believed that physical activity (PA) would have a protective effect on diet quality for individuals experiencing depressive symptoms. Our study evaluated the diet (Healthy Eating Index) and PA (Actigraph GT3X activity monitors) of 534 foreign-born Latinas with and without depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale). A series of logistic regression models were estimated to examine our hypotheses. As predicted, Latinas who were depressed had significantly lower odds of having a high-quality diet than non-depressed Latinas. Unexpectedly, among Latinas who met PA guidelines, depressed Latinas had a significantly lower probability of having higher-quality diets than their non-depressed counterparts. Our findings support current research stating that depressive symptoms are associated with lower Healthy Eating Index scores. More research is necessary to elucidate the relationship between PA and dietary quality of depressed Latinas. Innovative approaches to address mental health and the stressors that can compound its severity are needed to improve diet quality among foreign-born Latina women