Dietary determinants of changes in waist circumference adjusted for body mass index - a proxy measure of visceral adiposity

Background Given the recognized health effects of visceral fat, the understanding of how diet can modulate changes in the phenotype “waist circumference for a given body mass index (WCBMI)”, a proxy measure of visceral adiposity, is deemed necessary. Hence, the objective of the present study was to assess the association between dietary factors and prospective changes in visceral adiposity as measured by changes in the phenotype WCBMI. Methods and Findings We analyzed data from 48,631 men and women from 5 countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Anthropometric measurements were obtained at baseline and after a median follow-up time of 5.5 years. WCBMI was defined as the residuals of waist circumference regressed on body mass index, and annual change in WCBMI (¿WCBMI, cm/y) was defined as the difference between residuals at follow-up and baseline, divided by follow-up time. The association between energy, energy density (ED), macronutrients, alcohol, glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL), fibre and ¿WCBMI was modelled using centre-specific adjusted linear regression, and random-effects meta-analyses to obtain pooled estimates. Men and women with higher ED and GI diets showed significant increases in their WCBMI, compared to those with lower ED and GI [1 kcal/g greater ED predicted a ¿WCBMI of 0.09 cm (95% CI 0.05 to 0.13) in men and 0.15 cm (95% CI 0.09 to 0.21) in women; 10 units greater GI predicted a ¿WCBMI of 0.07 cm (95% CI 0.03 to 0.12) in men and 0.06 cm (95% CI 0.03 to 0.10) in women]. Among women, lower fibre intake, higher GL, and higher alcohol consumption also predicted a higher ¿WCBMI. Conclusions Results of this study suggest that a diet with low GI and ED may prevent visceral adiposity, defined as the prospective changes in WCBMI. Additional effects may be obtained among women of low alcohol, low GL, and high fibre intake

Dietary determinants of obesity

Obesity has become a serious public health problem worldwide, and dietary composition can play a role in its prevention and treatment. However, available literature on the impacts of different dietary factors on weight change is inconsistent, or even conflicting. In this review, we briefly summarized the mechanisms and influences of several major dietary determinants of weight change, with a focus on their potential in the prevention of weight gain or regain. We discussed the intake of fat, protein, total carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, fibre, free sugars, fructose and sugar sweetened beverages, dietary energy density, portion size, eating outside home, glycaemic index and glycaemic load. Popular weight loss diets, including the Atkins diet, Weight Watchers, Ornish diet and Zone diet, are also briefly discussed for their safety and efficacy in the maintenance of weight loss

The association between diet and obesity in specific European cohorts: DiOgenes and EPIC-PANACEA

This review summarizes evidence from two projects embedded within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) on the association between dietary factors and obesity risk, in particular change in weight and waist circumference. A total of 12 publications from DiOGenes and six from EPIC-PANACEA were reviewed. The results show that dietary fiber, especially cereal fiber, was inversely associated with weight or waist change, as well as fruit/vegetable intake and the Mediterranean dietary pattern. Energy density and meat consumption were positively associated with the anthropometric changes, as was glycemic index with waist change. Clear associations with macronutrient composition were not observed. In additional studies, interactions with genetic polymorphism were investigated and shown to be present for protein intake and GI, although effect estimates were small. These interactions require replication. These results show that in European populations dietary factors are independently associated with weight/waist change. The findings provide further clues for the prevention of obesity

Dietary glycaemic index: a review of the physiological mechanisms and observed health impacts

Carbohydrates (CHOs) are the most important energy source in human diets and are often classified by their molecular size as sugar, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and polyols (hydrogenated CHOs). However, the relevance of this structural classification has been questioned and interest in an alternative property of CHOs has grown. The glycaemic index (GI) is a contribution of Jenkins and co-workers in 1981 to classify CHO containing foods according to their impacts on the body¿s postprandial glycaemic response. GI is defined as ¿The incremental area under the 2-hour blood glucose response curve of a test food containing 50 g of glycaemic (available) CHOs expressed as the percentage of the response to the same amount of glycaemic CHOs from a standard food (either white bread or glucose) taken by the same subject¿. Although white bread and glucose both give valid values, glucose may be the preferred control because of its stable composition. When, for any reason, white bread is used as reference, the obtained GI value needs to be divided by 1.4 to get the GI value contrast to glucose

No consistent association between consumption of energy-dense snack foods and annual weight and waist circumference changes in Dutch adults

Background: There is conflicting evidence regarding an association between the consumption of energy-dense snack (EDS) foods and the development of overweight. Objective: In the current study, we examined whether there was an association between the intake of EDS foods and annual weight and waist circumference changes in normal-weight and overweight Dutch adults. Design: The study population included 9383 men and women from the MORGEN-EPIC (Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases in the Netherlands-European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) study, which is a population-based cohort study in 3 towns in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Maastricht, and Doetinchem), who had a body mass index (in kg/m(2)