title: Intake and serum profile of fatty acids are weakly correlated with global dietary quality in European adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study assessed whether compliance with the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines is related to habitual fatty acid (FA) intake and blood lipid parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dietary information was collected by two non-consecutive 24-h recalls in 1804 European adolescents. Compliance with the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines was expressed by calculating the Diet Quality Index for Adolescents (DQI-A). Blood samples were collected in a randomly selected subset (n = 552). Relations between FA intake/serum concentrations and DQI-A were tested with multilevel regression analysis to correct for the study design (clustering within cities). Analyses were stratified for gender; age was entered as a covariate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Better DQI-A scores were related to increased proportional intakes of energy from total fat, saturated FA, monounsaturated FA, and cholesterol (P < 0.001), whereas no significant association was observed with polyunsaturated FA intakes. In adolescents with higher compared with lower DQI-A scores, dairy products contributed more (21.0% versus 12.7%) and low-nutrient, energy-dense items contributed less (17.2% versus 26.3%) to the intake of total fat. A positive association was observed between the DQI-A scores and serum concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (all P < 0.005). The latter, however, was significant only in girls. In boys, higher DQI-A scores were inversely associated with serum cholesterol concentrations (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although compliance with the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines was not always associated with a favorable FA intake pattern, a significant favorable association with some serum biomarkers was observed. This outcome underlines the importance of considering dietary habits instead of single-nutrient intakes.
authors: Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Krishna.Vyncke@UGent.be
authors: Krishna E
authors: KE
authors: Vyncke
authors: Inge
authors: I
authors: Huybrechts
authors: Jean
authors: J
authors: Dallongeville
authors: Theodora
authors: T
authors: Mouratidou
authors: Myriam A
authors: MA
authors: Van Winckel
authors: Magdalena
authors: M
authors: Cuenca-García
authors: Charlene
authors: C
authors: Ottevaere
authors: Marcela
authors: M
authors: González-Gross
authors: Luis A
authors: LA
authors: Moreno
authors: Anthony G
authors: AG
authors: Kafatos
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Leclercq
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Sjöström
authors: Denes
authors: D
authors: Molnár
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Stehle
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Breidenassel
authors: Ascension
authors: A
authors: Marcos
authors: Yannis
authors: Y
authors: Manios
authors: Kurt
authors: K
authors: Widhalm
authors: Chantal C
authors: CC
authors: Gilbert
authors: Frédéric
authors: F
authors: Gottrand
authors: Stefaan
authors: S
authors: De Henauw
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards*; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood*; D005060:Europe; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D018673:Nutrition Policy
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D002784:Cholesterol; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid