Abstract B06: Dietary intake in the relation between acculturation and obesity among healthy, Mexican-descent women
Authors: Santiago-Torres Margarita , Breymeyer Kara L. , Kratz Mario , Lampe Johanna W. , Levy Lisa , Neuhouser Marian L. 
Published: October 2015

Background: Obesity increases risk for breast and other cancers. This is of concern among Hispanics who have higher rates of obesity when compared to non-Hispanic Whites. More versus less acculturated Hispanics often have diets high in simple sugars and low in fiber, which is proposed to contribute to adiposity. Therefore, we aimed to examine the associations between obesity, acculturation, and dietary intake among healthy, Mexican-descent women.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 1st and 2nd generation healthy Mexican-descent women (n=58) who were screened for participation in a controlled feeding study in Seattle, WA. Women were pre-menopausal, non-smoking, ages 18 to 45 years, with a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 40.0 kg/m2. Additional exclusion criteria addressed a mix of medical and practical issues and included impaired glucose tolerance (fasting glucose ≥100mg/dL), current pregnancy or lactation, and heavy alcohol use, defined as ≥ 2 drinks/day. Analyses included demographics, acculturation measures, self-reported dietary intake (3-day food records) and measured anthropometrics. Dietary intake is reported as percentage of total energy. Comparisons across BMI categories were tested using general linear models for continuous dietary intake variables, while adjusting for age. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for overweight and obesity (BMI ≥25.0), as compared to normal weight (BMI &lt;25.0) given dietary intake across acculturation measures.

Results: Women in the study had lived in the US for 13.8 ± 6.4 years, 60% were born in Mexico, 64% self-identified as Mexican versus Mexican-American and 53% were overweight or obese. Overweight and obese women significantly (P &lt;0.05) consumed less dietary fiber (17.1 vs 18.6 g/d) and vegetable protein (5.0 vs 5.6, as percentage of total energy) when compared to normal weight women. Among less acculturated women, a higher intake of dietary fiber (20.6 vs 17.1 g/d, 17% more) resulted in lower odds for being overweight or obese [OR=0.85 (0.73, 0.99)], while a higher intake of sucrose (54.3 vs. 36.6 g/d; 33% more), as percentage of total energy, resulted in higher odds for being overweight or obese among more acculturated women [OR=1.43 (1.07, 1.91)].

Conclusions: These results are consistent with the hypothesis that more acculturated women consume less dietary fiber and more simple sugars, which may contribute to overweight and obesity. Prevention efforts for obesity-related breast and other cancers should include dietary recommendations that encourage diets high in dietary fiber, while reducing the consumption of added sugars in this highly-at risk population.

Citation Format: Margarita Santiago-Torres, Kara L. Breymeyer, Mario Kratz, Johanna W. Lampe, Lisa Levy, Marian L. Neuhouser. Dietary intake in the relation between acculturation and obesity among healthy, Mexican-descent women. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2014 Sep 27-Oct 1; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2015;8(10 Suppl): Abstract nr B06.