THE SUGAR-FAT RELATIONSHIP REVISITED - DIFFERENCES IN CONSUMPTION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN OF VARYING BMI

OBJECT(VE: To assess the relationship of dietary fat and sugar consump tion in men and women with different body mass indices (BMI). To deter mine the actual food sources for sugar intake, comparing differences b etween men and women across BMI groups. The effect of excluding indivi duals with low energy intakes (that is, invalid data) on these relatio nships was also incorporated in the analysis. SUBJECTS: Subjects for t his analysis were those individuals who participated in the 1986-1987 Dietary and Nutrition Survey of British Adults (DNSBA). METHOD: In the DNSBA, dietary intake was assessed using seven-day weighed food recor ds, providing estimates of dietary fat and sugar intake. From the DNSB A database food records, sources of sugar intake were classified into five sugar containing food groups (high fat sweet products, fruits, da iry products, sugar products (excluding soft drinks) and sugar product s (including soft drinks)). BMI was calculated from the measurement of height and body weight. RESULT: A positive relationship between BMI a nd dietary fat intake was found for men, both when fat was expressed a s a percentage of energy and in absolute terms (g/d). This relationshi p was only replicated for women when intake was expressed in absolute terms. A negative relationship was found between sugar intake las a pe rcentage of energy) and BMI in men, but not women. Expressing sugar co nsumption in absolute terms did not produce a statistically significan t relationship with BMI for either men or women. In women the only sug ar source associated with BMI was high fat sweet products (for example , cakes, biscuits, chocolate), where higher intakes were related to hi gher BMIs. The reverse relationship was found for men. In men, BMI was also negatively related to the intake of sugar products (for example, table sugar, preserves, sugar confectionery), both when soft drinks w ere included and excluded. The inclusion of low energy reporters (LER) in the analysis altered the relationships between nutrients and BMI, particularly among women. The association between overall fat intake ( g/d) and BMI was weakened, while the negative relationship with sugar intake was strengthened. In the case of women, the inclusion of LER co mpletely reversed the relationship between consumption of high fat swe et foods (cakes, biscuits, chocolate) and BMI (due to the reduced repo rting of these products by obese women). Fewer alterations in the rela tionships between BMI and the sources of sugar consumed were observed in men than in women when LER were included in the analysis. CONCLUSIO N: The relationships between dietary fat, sugar and BMI are different in men and women, and are dependent on the inclusion of LER, particula rly in women. The results suggest that among women the consumption of high fat sweet products may be a factor in understanding obesity. Furt hermore, the observation of high consumption of these foods among obes e women is consistent with measured preferences for these high fat swe et foods. The altered representation of the data created by LER appear s to distort the relationship between sugar, fat and the degree of obe sity in men and women.