Energy intake, energy dispersion and body mass index interaction in adolescents

The aim of this study was to investigate dietary energy intake and energy dispersion among adolescents and to examine its relationship with Body Mass Index (BMI). Adolescents recalled food intake in the past 24 hours and energy intakes/expenditure were calculated. For the relation between BMI and energy intake percentage, ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc test were used. This research was performed in 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey. The study was carried out with 265 adolescents, 63.4% girls, aged between 12-15. Girls and boys have BMI means of 18.19±2.69 and 20.42±4.85 respectively. With respect to BMI, body fat percentage (BFP) was significantly different for both girls and boys (p<0.001). As BMI increased, so did BFP while body fluid rate (BFR) decreased. While the relation between daily total energy intake and BMI for boys was not statistically significant, it was significant for girls (p<0.01). The relation of energy percentage from fat and BMI for both boys and girls was significant (boys p>0.5, girls p<0.01). While the relation of energy rate from carbohydrates and BMI was not significant for girls, it was significant for boys (p<0.001). In the current study, even though the total energy intake of adolescents was not above the requirements of their age group, the energy intake from fats was mostly higher than the rates recommended. A high percentage of energy intake from fats over a prolonged period may result in obesity