Impact of dietary fat and fiber intake on nutrient intake of adolescents

Objective. To evaluate the impact of fat and fiber intake on energy and nut rient intake of 15-year-old adolescents. Study Design. Twenty-four-hour dietary recalls were collected on a random s ample of 15-year-olds. Subjects were then categorized into groups based on fat and fiber intake, with 319 students meeting criteria for 1 of 4 dietary intake quadrants: low fat, low fiber; low fat, high fiber; high fat, low f iber; and high fat, high fiber. Students with medium fat or fiber intakes w ere excluded from the study. Low-fat and high-fat intake were defined as <3 0% and >40% of total energy intake, respectively. Low- and high-fiber intak e were defined as <15 g/day and >20 g/day, respectively. Results. Low-fat and high-fiber intake had a minimal impact on energy intak e and did not adversely affect nutrient intake. High-fiber intake was assoc iated with greater likelihood of adequate intake of vitamins A, B6, B12, an d C; niacin; thiamin; riboflavin; folacin; magnesium; iron; zinc; phosphoru s; and calcium. High-fat intake was associated with greater likelihood of a dequate vitamin B12 intake. Significant differences in fat and fiber intake distributions were found for ethnic background and gender, with more non-w hite than white students in the high-fat groups and more males than females in the high-fiber groups. Conclusions. A low-fat and high-fiber diet meeting current nutrition recomm endations does not adversely affect energy or nutrient intake, increases nu trient density of the diet, and increases the likelihood of adequate intake for several key nutrients.