Intake of fried foods is associated with obesity in the cohort of Spanish adults from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

Tufts Nutrition Symposium, Boston Sept 24-26

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Intake of fried foods is associated with obesity in the cohort of Spanish adults from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition¹^,2^,3

Pilar Guallar-Castillón, Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo, Nélida Schmid Fornés, José R Banegas, Pilar Amiano Etxezarreta, Eva Ardanaz, Aurelio Barricarte, María-Dolores Chirlaque, Miren Dorronsoro Iraeta, Nerea Larrañaga Larrañaga, Adamina Losada, Michelle Mendez, Carmen Martínez, José R Quirós, Carmen Navarro, Paula Jakszyn, María J Sánchez, María J Tormo and Carlos A González

¹ From the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain (PG-C, FR-A, NSF, and JRB); the Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, (PG-C); the School of Nutrition, Federal University of Goias, Goiânia, Brazil (NSF); the Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, Health Department of the Basque Country, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain (PAE, MDI, and NLL); the Public Health Institute of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain (EA and AB); the Department of Epidemiology, Murcia Health Council, Murcia, Spain (M-DC, CN, and MJT); the Dirección General de Salud Pública y Planificación, Consejería de Salud y Servicios Sanitarios de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain (AL and JRQ); the Group of Nutrition, Environment and Cancer, Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Registry, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain (MM, PJ, and CAG); and the Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Granada, Spain (CM and MJS)

Background: Consumption of fried food has been suggested topromote obesity, but this association has seldom been studied.

Objective: We aimed to assess the association of energy intakefrom fried food with general and central obesity in Spain, aMediterranean country where frying with oil is a traditionalcooking procedure.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study of 33 542 Spanish personsaged 29-69 y who were participating in the European ProspectiveInvestigation into Cancer and Nutrition between 1992 and 1996.Dietary intake was assessed by a diet history questionnaire.Height, weight, and waist circumference were measured by trainedinterviewers. Analyses were performed with logistic regressionand were adjusted for total energy intake and other confounders.

Results: The prevalence of general obesity [body mass index(in kg/m²) $≥$ 30] was 27.6% in men and 27.7% in women. Respectivefigures for central obesity (waist circumference $≥$ 102 cm inmen and $≥$ 88 cm in women) were 34.5% and 42.6%. The average proportionof energy intake from fried food was 15.6% in men and 12.6%in women. The adjusted odds ratios for general obesity in thehighest versus the lowest quintile of fried food intake were1.26 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.45; P for trend < 0.001) in men and1.25 (1.11, 1.41; P for trend < 0.001) in women. The correspondingvalues for central obesity were 1.17 (1.02, 1.34; P for trend< 0.003) in men and 1.27 (1.13, 1.42; P for trend < 0.001)in women.

Conclusion: Fried food was positively associated with generaland central obesity only among subjects in the highest quintileof energy intake from fried food.