Childhood nutrient intakes are differentially associated with hepatic and abdominal fats in adolescence: The EPOCH study

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine whether nutrient intakes in childhood are associated with abdominal and hepatic fat depots later in adolescence.

Methods: Using data from 302 participants in the longitudinal Exploring Perinatal Outcomes among CHildren (EPOCH) study, energy partition and nutrient density models were constructed to examine associations of nutrient intakes in childhood (~10 years of age), assessed by food frequency questionnaire, with abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and hepatic fat in adolescence (~16 years of age).

Results: In energy partition models (energy intake not held constant), total, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat intakes in childhood were associated with higher SAT in adolescence (β [95% CI]: 8.5 [0.1-17.1], 25.1 [2.1-48.1], and 59.7 [16.1-103.3] mm² per 100 kcal/d), higher starch intake was associated with log-hepatic fat (back-transformed β [95% CI]: 1.07 [1.01-1.15] per 100 kcal/d), and, in boys only, higher animal protein intake was associated with VAT (β [95% CI]: 5.3 [0.3-10.3] mm² per 100 kcal/d). Most associations were unchanged when adjusted for energy intake in nutrient density models.

Conclusions: Childhood nutrient intakes were differentially associated with adolescent body fats; specifically, unsaturated fat intake predicted abdominal SAT, animal protein intake predicted VAT, and starch intake predicted hepatic fat. These nutrient intakes may, therefore, be targets for intervention studies aiming to modify adolescent body fat distribution.