Association between the Healthy Eating Index-2010 and nutrient and energy densities of German households’ food purchases

Abstract

The USDA Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is used widely to measure diet quality because it allows a number of different applications. Although several evaluations of the HEI-2010 have already been carried out, there is lack of those which focus on associations between the HEI and nutrient intakes. This study updates and expands upon previous findings on these associations. Using German consumption data, where ∼12 million purchases from 13 131 households are recorded, HEI-2010 total and individual scores, as well as several energy and nutrient densities were calculated. Correlations between the HEI and individual energy and nutrient densities were carried out to identify which nutrients are more or less well represented by the HEI. The HEI had the highest correlations with energy density and the densities of water-soluble vitamins (e.g. folic acid) and minerals (e.g. calcium). Weaker associations were identified for the densities of fat-soluble vitamins (e.g. vitamin D) as well as of the vitamins B1 and B12. Negligible correlations were detected for the densities of trace elements (e.g. fluoride and iodine), salt and fat composition. Given that energy intake and the intake of plant-based foods are relevant dietary issues, the HEI-2010 can be defined as a meaningful index to describe diet quality. However, because the intakes of salt, trace elements (e.g. fluoride and iodine) and fat-soluble vitamins, as well as the fat composition may be less reflected, they should be analyzed separately when using the HEI for measuring diet quality.

Key process features of personalized diet counselling in metabolic syndrome: secondary analysis of feasibility study in primary care

“…The 2010 US HEI was calculated, and all intervention groups combined demonstrated a 4-point mean change over 6 months, compared to a 2.3 point change in the control group, for a between group difference, adjusted for baseline of 1.27 points (95% CI, 0.30, 2.25, p = 0.010). Baseline HEI values were 49.1 to 49.5, slightly lower than the mean of 55.4 (SD = 8.32) found in a German household study [ 72 ]. The few studies using versions of the HEI in MetS have shown results similar to ours, in terms of increases in fruits and vegetables and reductions in sugar intake as examples [ 73 , 74 ].…”

Association of energy adjusts Nutrient-rich foods (ENRF) on mental health among obese and overweight women: a cross-sectional study

“…In our study, calcium was higher at the top of the ENRF quartile, since milk and other dairy products account for more than half of the dietary calcium intake in most parts of the world [70], their stress-relieving properties can also be attributed to more calcium intake. People with higher HEI scores are more likely to eat nutritious foods [71]that when replacing junk food with fresh, highber plant-based foods, they will consume few nutrients that are essential for healthy metabolism and provide signi cant stress protection [72]. Vitamin B is used as a cofactor for adrenaline synthesis in stress response, and it is also used to synthesize neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine that affect stress [73,74].…”

Diet quality is associated with primary melanoma thickness

“…17 Using the HEI allows the complex synergistic and cumulative effects of foods and their nutrient components to be studied, 18 and since its introduction in 1995, 19 many links between diet quality and reduced risk of chronic diseases have been shown across age and ethnic groups in the USA [20][21][22] and elsewhere. [23][24][25][26] Here, we hypothesized that melanoma patients who consume a recommended dietary pattern up to time of diagnosis present with thinner melanomas than those consuming less healthy diets.…”