PROPORTION OF ENERGY-INTAKE FROM FAT AND SUBSEQUENT WEIGHT CHANGE IN THE NHANES-I EPIDEMIOLOGIC FOLLOW-UP-STUDY

We examined the association of percent energy intake from fat with subsequent weight change in 2580 men and 4567 women, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study (NHEFS). Weight change was defined as the difference between the follow-up weight (NHEFS, 1982-1984) and the baseline weight (NHANES I, 1971-1974). Fat intake was estimated from a 24-h dietary recall obtained at baseline. Regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders showed no significant association of percent fat energy with weight change in men. Among women aged <50 y, the inverse relation of percent fat energy with weight change was significant (beta = -0.052, P = 0.04). After exclusion of respondents with any morbidity from the analytic cohort, percent fat energy and weight change were positively associated in men (beta = 0.046, P = 0.05), but not in women. In conclusion, percent fat energy intake and weight change were inversely related in women aged <50 y in the NHEFS cohort, but positively associated in men without any morbidity.