| Title: | Adiposity among 132 479 UK Biobank participants; contribution of sugar intake vs other macronutrients |
| Journal: | Int J Epidemiol |
| Published: | 1 Apr 2017 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27407038/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyw173 |
Publication 512
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Abstract
Background: Policy makers are being encouraged to specifically target sugar intake in order to combat obesity. We examined the extent to which sugar, relative to other macronutrients, was associated with adiposity.Methods: We used baseline data from UK Biobank to examine the associations between energy intake (total and individual macronutrients) and adiposity [body mass index (BMI), percentage body fat and waist circumference]. Linear regression models were conducted univariately and adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity and physical activity.
Results: Among 132?479 participants, 66.3% of men and 51.8% of women were overweight/obese. There was a weak correlation (r?=?0.24) between energy from sugar and fat; 13% of those in the highest quintile for sugar were in the lowest for fat, and vice versa. Compared with normal BMI, obese participants had 11.5% higher total energy intake and 14.6%, 13.8%, 9.5% and 4.7% higher intake from fat, protein, starch and sugar, respectively. Hence, the proportion of energy derived from fat was higher (34.3% vs 33.4%, P < 0.001) but from sugar was lower (22.0% vs 23.4%, P < 0.001). BMI was more strongly associated with total energy [coefficient 2.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.36-2.55] and energy from fat (coefficient 1.96, 95% CI 1.91-2.06) than sugar (coefficient 0.48, 95% CI 0.41-0.55). The latter became negative after adjustment for total energy.
Conclusions: Fat is the largest contributor to overall energy. The proportion of energy from fat in the diet, but not sugar, is higher among overweight/obese individuals. Focusing public health messages on sugar may mislead on the need to reduce fat and overall energy consumption.
J.J. Anderson, C.A. Celis-Morales, D.F. Mackay, S. Iliodromiti, D.M. Lyall, N. Sattar, J.M.R. Gill, J.P. Pell; Adiposity among 132479 UK Biobank participants; contribution of sugar intake vs other macronutrients. Int J Epidemiol 2016 dyw173. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyw173
1 Author
- Anderson JJ et al.
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 774 | Cross-sectional study to investigate ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk and mental health |
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