Hyun Kim, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: This study examined the association that meals eaten away from home had on metabolic biomarkers and biomarkers of dietary exposure.
Methods: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the nutritional quality and health parameters of adults who reported the frequency of obtaining or eating foods away from home (FAFH) using a combination of two 2-year cycles of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2017–2020) data. The study sample of adults aged 20 to 39 years was used to examine the associations between nutritional quality/frequency of FAFH and risk of chronic disease by using biomarkers such as BMI, fasting glucose and LDL/HDL cholesterol. Multivariate regression analyses were used to investigate the risk of chronic disease by FAFH frequency and nutrient intake, adjusting for sociodemographic variables.
Results: Adults aged 20-39 reported relatively higher fast-food meals per week compared those from other age groups, and the average BMI of individuals with more frequent FAFH or fast-food meals was higher. FAFH was positively associated with BMI status, especially among obese individuals. Individuals with higher frequency of FAFH also had higher total caloric intake than those who consumed less. Serum concentrations of LDL and HDL-cholesterol were negatively associated with frequency of FAFH meals.
Conclusions: This study showed the impact on the nutrient and chronic disease biomarkers that the increase of the amount of FAFH had. FAFH has a significant impact on the unhealthy population in today's society and has been considered one of the major contributors in the obesity epidemic. Locating and educating the public on specific biomarkers that are in meals eaten away from home can help end the epidemic. It also can lower a person's risk of chronic disease by detecting dietary biomarkers that can increase a person's risk.
