Intake and Dietary Food Sources of Fibre in Spain: Differences with Regard to the Prevalence of Excess Body Weight and Abdominal Obesity in Adults of the ANIBES Study

Abstract

The aim was to study the intake and food sources of fibre in a representative sample of Spanish adults and to analyse its association with excess body weight and abdominal obesity. A sample of 1655 adults (18–64 years) from the ANIBES (“Anthropometric data, macronutrients and micronutrients intake, practice of physical activity, socioeconomic data and lifestyles”) cross-sectional study was analysed. Fibre intake and dietary food sources were determined by using a three-day dietary record. Misreporters were identified using the protocol of the European Food Safety Authority. Mean (standard deviation) fibre intake was 12.59 (5.66) g/day in the whole sample and 15.88 (6.29) g/day in the plausible reporters. Mean fibre intake, both in the whole sample and the plausible reporters, was below the adequate intake established by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Institute of Medicine of the United States (IOM). Main fibre dietary food sources were grains, followed by vegetables, fruits, and pulses. In the whole sample, considering sex, and after adjusting for age and physical activity, mean (standard error) fibre intake (adjusted by energy intake) was higher in subjects who had normal weight (NW) 13.40 (0.184) g/day, without abdominal obesity 13.56 (0.192) g/day or without excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity 13.56 (0.207) g/day compared to those who were overweight (OW) 12.31 (0.195) g/day, p < 0.001 or obese (OB) 11.83 (0.266) g/day, p < 0.001, with abdominal obesity 12.09 (0.157) g/day, p < 0.001 or with excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity 12.22 (0.148) g/day, p < 0.001. There were no significant differences in relation with the fibre intake according to the body mass index (BMI), presence or absence of abdominal obesity or excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity in the plausible reporters. Fibre from afternoon snacks was higher in subjects with NW (6.92%) and without abdominal obesity (6.97%) or without excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity (7.20%), than those with OW (5.30%), p < 0.05 or OB (4.79%), p < 0.05, with abdominal obesity (5.18%), p < 0.01, or with excess body weight and/or abdominal obesity (5.21%), p < 0.01, in the whole sample. Conversely, these differences were not observed in the plausible reporters. The present study demonstrates an insufficient fibre intake both in the whole sample and in the plausible reporters and confirms its association with excess body weight and abdominal obesity only when the whole sample was considered.

Dietary Fibre Intake in Australia. Paper I: Associations with Demographic, Socio-Economic, and Anthropometric Factors

“…The association between fibre intake and age are in line with studies from the U.S., Germany, and Ireland, which found that adolescents consumed less fibre than younger children [ 31 , 32 ], and that younger adults consumed less total fibre than older adults [ 33 ], after adjusting for energy intake. Whilst men typically have higher unadjusted fibre intakes than women [ 13 ], studies in Spain [ 34 ], Ireland [ 33 ], Italy [ 35 ], and Finland [ 36 ] revealed that men had lower intakes of fibre than women when adjusted for energy intake. Other recent analyses from the 2011–2012 NNPAS have reported that, when adjusted for energy intake, these groups generally have lower intakes of core foods and higher intakes of discretionary foods.…”

“…The associations may also be influenced by under- and over-reporting. A recent study reported that fibre intake among Spanish adults was lower among overweight and obese, but when under- and over-reporters were excluded, these differences were no longer observed [ 34 ]. High-fibre foods contain other nutrients and non-nutrients.…”

Fiber Patterns in Young Adults Living in Different Environments (USA, Spain, and Tunisia). Anthropometric and Lifestyle Characteristics

“…Among chronic diseases associated with economic development, obesity is one of the most serious public health problems [ 70 ], and fiber is associated with satiety [ 26 , 27 ]. Therefore, the relationship between fiber intake and excess weight is of great interest [ 34 , 55 , 85 ], especially since we know that younger adults are now gaining weight at a faster rate than the generation of their parents [ 93 ]. In this sense, our work confirms the effect of economic development on BMI since the prevalence of people with a BMI above the normal range (obese and overweight) was significantly lower in Tunisian participants than in American ones.…”

“…These benefits are related to the complex function of fiber as a carrier of phytochemicals and its effect on gut microbiota [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. Recent studies evidence that further knowledge of fiber healthy properties requires including information about food sources [ 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Construction of Wood-Based Lamella for Increased Load on Seating Furniture

“…Determining the appropriate single weight for all users is a difficult process as weight gain has recently been reported all over the world. In many countries, population weight gain is seen as part of the global obesity epidemic [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Data from 591 local and 369 national research studies were used by the author [9].…”