Foods Intakes and Their Influences on BMI (Body Mass Index) in Young and Middle Aged Women in Japan

摘要

Background: Japanese women’s body mass index (BMI) was known to be the lowest among people in OECD countries. We wanted to compare foods intakes and relationships between intakes of particular food species and BMI. Methods: We asked young and middle-aged women to participate and used a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) to know the amounts of various food species they took. Results: Weights and BMI of young and middle-aged women were not different. Middle-aged women took almost all species of foods and energy more than young women. Except for cholesterol of soluble dietary fibers, there was no correlation between foods intakes and BMI. Conclusion: Both young and middle-aged Japanese women are lean (BMI;around 22). Middle-aged women took more energy, and proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids compared with young women. Middle-aged women spend more energy on house workings than young women in Japan.