Association of Dietary Energy Density with Adiposity Index, Resting Metabolic Rate, and Respiratory Quotient in Overweight and Obese Women

Dietary Energy Density (DED), defined as the energy content of foods (kJ or kcal) per unit weight of foods (g) has an important effect on the regulation of energy intake and some health-related factors, including adiposity index(AI), weight reduction and weight maintenance; however its function on the regulation of resting metabolic rate (RMR) is less understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of DED with AI, RMR, respiratory quotient (RQ) and anthropometric indices in overweight and obese women. A total of 301 overweight and obese women were included in this comparative, cross-sectional study. Body composition was measured using the body composition analyzer. RMR was measured by means of indirect calorimetry. Usual food intakes of subjects over the past year were evaluated through the use of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. There was a significant difference between DED and age, CO2 production, RMR, RMR per kg of weight and the RQ (P<0.05). After adjusting the data for age, lean mass and physical activity, the relationship between DED and RMR per kilogram of body weight and RQ was still meaningful (P<0.0001). There was no significant relationship between DED and AI (P=0.55). Based on the findings of this research, one unit increase in DED causes a 0.89 unit increase in the RMR per kilogram and 0.18 unit increase in RQ, whereas no relationship was observed between AI and DED.