BATON ROUGE, La. – A better diet includes cooked oatmeal as a regular component and reduces obesity in children under 18, according to a new study.
The study was published May 27 in the journal Food & Nutrition Research.
The study assessed the association between oatmeal consumption and nutrient intake, diet quality, and weight and adiposity of children aged 2 to 18. It used a nationally representative sample of children who were participating in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2010.
Diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Index-2010, covariate-adjusted regression analyses that used appropriate sample weights to determine differences between oatmeal consumers and non-consumers for demographics, nutrient intakes, diet quality, and weight and adiposity measures.
Researchers found oatmeal consumers were more likely to be younger and less likely to be smokers. Consumers had higher intakes of dietary fiber, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, copper and potassium, and significantly lower intakes of total, monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids, cholesterol and sodium.
Oatmeal consumers had higher dietary quality scores attributable to higher intakes of whole grains and lower intakes of refined grains and empty calories. Children consuming oatmeal were at lower risk for having central adiposity and being obese, leading the scientists to conclude children who regularly ate oatmeal had better nutrient intake, diet quality, and a reduced risk for central adiposity and obesity and should be encouraged as part of an overall healthful diet.
http://www.foodandnutritionresearch.net/index.php/fnr/article/view/26673