Efectos sobre la salud de la ingesta de fibra y su adecuación a las recomendaciones en niños europeos

Identifier:  TDX:3715

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX3715

Authors:  Larrosa Capacés, Susana

Abstract:
Dietary fiber intake has been associated with digestive and cardiovascular health in adults, but there is little evidence about this relationship during childhood. Furthermore, the fiber intake recommendations in pediatrics are based on an extrapolation of those indicated for adults, and it is unknown whether they are appropriate or not for children’s health. The aim of this doctoral thesis was to analyze dietary fiber intake and its adherence to recommendations in relation to cardiometabolic health markers during childhood. We performed an observational longitudinal analysis secondary to the EU Childhood Obesity Project Trial. Fiber intake and its dietary sources (collected at regular intervals using 3-day diaries) were described in participants from Germany, Belgium, Poland, Italy, and Spain from birth to 8 years. The children were classified depending on the compliance with the fiber intake recommendations. The percentage of adequacy with the recommendations was calculated at all ages. At 8 years of age, anthropometry, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and biochemical blood parameters (lipoproteins, triglycerides and homeostasis for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)) were assessed. The internal z-score of these parameters was added as an indicator of cardiometabolic risk. Sustained low fiber intakes throughout childhood were associated with worse glucose tolerance, SBP levels, and overall cardiometabolic risk score at age 8 years. Different dietary sources of fiber (fruits and vegetables or legumes) were associated with different parameters of cardiometabolic risk. A high percentage of the child population had fiber intakes lower than those recommended by the EFSA, although not following them was not associated with cardiometabolic health at these ages. We did not find a specific cut-off point for fiber intake associated with beneficial health effects at 8 years which could be set as a new recommendation. However, the fact that an intake maintained around 6.7 g / 1000 kcal per day is associated with worse cardiometabolic markers, could suggest that an intake higher than this would be sufficient to prevent this type of cardiometabolic disturbances at an early age.