It is well known that in adult populations, reducing diet energy density facilitates weight control. However, this relationship is not as clear in children and adolescents. The objective of this study by McCaffrey et al. was to assess the relationship between diet energy density in childhood, calculated using various methods, and change in adiposity from childhood to adolescence. To achieve their goal, the authors recruited 48 children at age 6 to 8 years and followed them up to age 13 to 17 years. Study results revealed that energy density of the total diet at baseline for 3 of the 5 methods used to calculate energy density were associated with changes in body fat normalized for body size, but were not associated with changes in percent body fat, body mass index, or waist circumference z scores. The authors concluded that the methods used to calculate energy density and assess obesity risk could lead to different conclusions about the relationships between diet energy density in childhood and body fat gain through adolescence.
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