Longitudinal trends in and tracking of energy and nutrient intake over 20 years in a Dutch cohort of men and women between 13 and 33 years of age: The Amsterdam growth and health longitudinal study

The purpose of the present study was to describe the longitudinal developme nt of nutrient intake and to determine the stability of this intake from ad olescence into adulthood. Longitudinal data of the Amsterdam Growth and Hea lth Longitudinal Study were analysed; the dietary intake of 200 subjects (m ales and females) was repeatedly measured (eight times) over a period of 20 years, covering the age period of 13-33 years. Dietary intake was determin ed with the detailed crosscheck dietary history interview. With use of mult ivariate ANOVA for repeated measurements, trends in macro- and micronutrien ts over time and differences between genders were analysed. Furthermore, st ability coefficients, corrected for time-dependent (biological age) and tim e-independent covariates (gender) were calculated, taking into account all the measurements. The results showed significant (P < 0.001) time and gende r effects for energy intake (kJ) and the following macronutrients: protein (g and % total energy supply), fat (g) and carbohydrate (g). Interaction ef fects between time and gender diminished when the macronutrients were calcu lated as a percentage of total energy intake. The micronutrients Ca, Fe and vitamins changed significantly (P < 0.001) over time and showed an interac tion effect with gender, with the exception of cholesterol intake (mg/MJ), which did not show an interaction effect of time and gender. The tracking o f the nutrient intake showed relatively low but significant (P < 0.05) stab ility coefficients for all macro- and micronutrients (0.28-0.52). In conclu sion, dietary intake does change considerably over time, with the exception of polyunsaturated fat intake (% total energy supply) for both males and f emales and fat intake in females. Furthermore, stability coefficients for n utrients appeared to be low to moderate. Although these coefficients may be somewhat attenuated as a result of the relatively large measurement error of the dietary intake measurement, they suggest moderate stability of diet over time. These findings may imply that dietary intake is changeable and s uggest that disease prevention measures can be implemented in adulthood.