Baseline dietary patterns are a significant consideration in correcting dietary exposure for weight loss

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 67; no. 4; pp. 330 - 336
• Main Authors: Grafenauer, S J, Tapsell, L C, Beck, E J, Batterham, M J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.04.2013; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/699/1702/393; 692/700/565/2072; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Body weight; Body weight loss; Choice Behavior; Clinical Nutrition; Clinical trials; Cluster Analysis; Dairy Products; Diet; Diet Records; Diet, Fat-Restricted; Dietary guidelines; Dietary intake; Energy Intake; Epidemiology; Feeding Behavior; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Food; Food groups; Food intake; Food Preferences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Guidelines; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Margarine; Meat; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Methods; Middle Aged; Nutrients; Nutrition; original-article; Outcome and process assessment (Health Care); Overweight; Overweight - diet therapy; Product/Service Evaluations; Public Health; Reducing diets; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Weight control; Weight Loss; Young Adult; Australia; weight reduction; health outcome assessment; dietary pattern; dietetic practice; cluster analysis; food; Cluster analysis; Dietetics; Prognosis; Health; Weight loss; Metabolic diseases; Exposure; Feeding; Diet; Professional practice; Evolution; Food
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.26

Background/objectives: Dietary pattern studies are traditionally the domain of epidemiological research. From a clinical perspective, there is a need to explore the effects of changing food and dietary patterns of individuals. The aim was to identify patterns of food choice in the context of a clinical weight loss trial. Cluster analysis based on reported serves of food groups revealed dietary patterns informative for the clinical setting. Subjects/Methods: Cluster analysis was conducted using diet history data from two clinical trials at baseline, and outcomes at 3 months were reviewed based on these clusters ( n =231). The cluster solution was analysed using defined food groups in serves and with respect to clinical parameters and requirements for selected nutrients. Results: Two distinct dietary patterns were identified from the reported baseline dietary intakes. Subjects in Cluster 1 reported food patterns characterised by higher intakes of low-fat dairy and unsaturated oils and margarine and were generally more closely aligned to food choices encouraged in national dietary guidelines. Subjects in Cluster 2 reported a dietary pattern characterised by non-core foods and drinks, higher- and medium-fat dairy foods, fatty meats and alcohol. At 3 months, Cluster 2 subjects reported greater reductions in energy intake (−5317 kJ; P <0.001) and greater weight loss (−5.6 kg; P <0.05) compared with Cluster 1. Conclusions: Overweight subjects with reported dietary patterns similar to dietary guidelines at baseline may have more difficulty in reducing energy intake than those with poor dietary patterns. Correcting exposure to non-core foods and drinks was key to successful weight loss.