•  
  •  
 

A PILOT STUDY CHARACTERIZING DIETARY INTAKE IN WOMEN OF VARYING RACE AND ETHNICITY

Abstract

Keanu Lettley, Malia Blue, Navaeh Nez. UNC Chapel HIll, Chapel Hill, NC.

Background: Dietary intake such as consumption of saturated fats, fruits and vegetables, and sodium can impact cardiometabolic health. In females, the risk of cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension vary by race and ethnicity with racial minorities often experiencing the greatest risk. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate if dietary intake differs by race and ethnicity in females. Methods: Fifty-seven racially diverse females (Mean±SD; Age: 27.1±6.4 yrs, BMI: 24.8±4.3 kg/m2; %body fat: 32.2±7.1 %) enrolled in the present study. Participants completed a 3-day dietary log where each reported all food and beverage intake for two weekdays and one weekend day. Data was entered into a dietary analysis software to assess total calorie intake, sugar, protein (PRO), sodium, fat, carbohydrates (CHO) and fiber intake. Participants were stratified into the following ethnicities and races: Asian (A, n=12), African American (AA, n=12), Biracial (BR, n=10), Hispanic (H, n=11), White (W, n=12). Separate one-way ANOVA tests were completed to assess racial and ethnic differences in each dietary variable. Results: There were no significant differences between racial or ethnic groups for any dietary variable (p=0.101-0.701). Although not significant, there was a wide range between races and ethnicities for total calories, sugar, sodium and fiber intake (Total calories mean±SD = 1791±510 Cal, range = 1457(A) - 1987(AA) Cal, p= 0.114; sugar: 75.1±37.7 g, 54.1(A) - 88.6(AA) g, p=0.101; fiber: 20.5±10.3 g, 15.6(AA) - 25.8(BR) g, p=0.173; sodium: 2600.7±1260.8 mg, 1917.5(A) - 3229.1(AA) mg, p= 0.107). The percentage of total calories composed of fats, CHO and PRO were similar between all racial and ethnic females (% dietary fat: 36.1±7.0 %, p=0.367; % dietary CHO: 46.5±8.5%, p=0.314; % dietary PRO: 17.7+5.1%, p=0.701). Conclusions: There were no significant dietary difference between races and ethnicities in this small sample of females. However, future studies should evaluate a larger, diverse sample of females as well as evaluate more specific dietary components such as fruits and vegetables, sugar sweetened beverages, and fast-food consumption. Additionally, as cardiometabolic health may be impacted by dietary intake, future studies should evaluate how dietary intake impacts specific outcomes such as vascular function, fasting blood glucose and body composition in a diverse group of females.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS