EVALUATION OF ENERGY-INTAKE ESTIMATED BY A DIET HISTORY IN 3 FREE-LIVING 70 YEAR-OLD POPULATIONS IN GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

Objective: To evaluate the credibility of estimates of energy intake f rom a Diet History (DH) by cut off limits for the multiple of energy i ntake and basal metabolic rate (EI/BMR(est)) and by physical activity levels (PAL, total energy expenditure = TEE/BMR). Design: Cohort study . Setting: Departments of Geriatric Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, G oteborg University, Gothenburg, Sweden. Subjects: 369 males and 440 fe males from three representative cohorts of free-living individuals fro m the gerontological and geriatric population studies-H70. Results: Me an values for EI/BMR(est) was 1.50 and 1.60 in males and 1.48 and 1.49 in females according to Schofield, Schofield and James (1985) and DHS S 41 (1991), respectively. A significant trend was seen when the sampl e was stratified at different levels of EI/BMR(est) with higher body w eight, lower EI, higher proportion of energy from protein and lower of proportion energy from fat in the group with the lower values of ET/B MR(est). A significant difference was shown regarding food choice expr essed as proportion of energy from ten defined food groups with respec t to different EI/BMR(est) values. Lean body mass (LBM) by bioelectric impedance (BIA) correlated well with BMR according to DHSS 41 (1991), 0.90 for males and 0.87 for females. Conclusion: Energy intake was un derreported with the DH method-especially in over-weight individuals. Reported food choice varied with EI/BMR values. EI/BMR(est) limits are useful for detecting underestimation of habitual energy intake.