Eating habits in normal weight and obese people

Abstract

Background and Aims: The aim of this study was to document the eating habits of normal weight and obese patients in order to implement a new and healthier lifestyle. Material and Methods: We evaluated the intake of energy and that of vitamins and minerals in a sample of 199 normal weight and obese subjects. We also performed anthropometric's measurements, paraclinic's and laboratory's tests. Results: The mean intake of vitamins and minerals is significantly different for B1 and B3 vitamins and for iron, phosphorus, copper and selenium. Vitamins like B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C and A vitamin and minerals like, zinc, manganese, phosphorus and selenium are over consumed in both groups. Regarding the sodium's intake, only 37.04% of normal weight patients fulfill the recommendations of less than 2 g/day. The prevalence of a high fat diet is about 59.29% in normal weight people and 60.69% among obese ones. Only 25% of normal weight patients had normal abdominal circumference and 58.47% of obese subjects had normal HDL-cholesterol levels. Conclusions: Regardless the body mass index (BMI) status, neither normal weight subjects nor the obese ones' had an adequate micronutrient intake. Also, there is a high prevalence of high sodium's intake and a high fat diet among the normal weight patients.