Changes in food intake patterns associated with body weight loss during a 12-week health promotion program and a 9-month follow-up period in a Japanese population

Summary Recently, food intake pattern analysis associated with body weight has been conducted instead of traditional dietary analysis focusing on a single nutrient or food group, but there have been few studies examining the association between change in food intake patterns and body weight loss. In this study, short- and long-term relationships between changes in food intake patterns and body weight loss were examined. Subjects were 506 overweight/obese men and women who participated in a 12-week health promotion program and a follow-up check 9 months later. Diet was assessed with a FFQ and food intake patterns named "Plant foods and seafood" and "Sweets, meats, dairy products and alcohol" were derived by cluster analysis using the intake of 17 food groups at the baseline. During the program, body weight loss of the subjects changed pattern from "Sweets, meats, dairy products and alcohol" to "Plant foods and seafood" (SP group) was significantly larger than that of the subjects who showed an opposite pattern change (PS group) or the subjects who maintained "Sweets, meats, dairy products and alcohol" pattern after adjusting for age, sex, body weight at the baseline, changes in energy intake and exercise habit. Body weight loss of the SP group was also significantly greater than that of the PS group during the follow-up period. Changes in food intake patterns were related to body weight loss and changing the pattern from "Sweets, meats, dairy products and alcohol" to "Plant foods and seafood" was most effective for short- and long-term body weight loss.