The micronutrient content of the diet is correlated with serum glucose biomarkers and lipid profile and is associated with the odds of being overweight/obese—a case-control study

BACKGROUND: A low micronutrient intake has been reported to contribute to the double-burden of obesity, increasing the risk for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and mental disorders. This case-control study compared micronutrient intake profiles in overweight/obese vs. normal-weight individuals. We hypothesized that a low intake of certain micronutrients would increase the odds of being overweight/obese. METHODS: The case group (n = 812 adults) consisted of individuals with a BMI of ≥25 kg/m(2), and the control group (n = 793) had BMIs of 17.9–24.9 kg/m(2). A validated 124-item food frequency questionnaire was used to determine micronutrient-related dietary-quality, using the index of nutritional quality (INQ), calculated as the fraction of a micronutrient consumed vs. its dietary requirement. In addition, body surface area (BSA) was calculated according to the Mosteller formula. RESULTS: The control group had significantly higher INQ-scores of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and selenium compared to the case group. Furthermore, individuals with normal BSA (≤1.91 m(2) for men; ≤1.71 m(2) for women) had significantly higher INQ scores of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and zinc compared to participants with high BSA. In multivariable adjustment regression models, INQs of vitamin C (OR(BMI) = 0.79, 95%CI: 0.64–0.97; OR(BSA) = 0.81, 95%CI, 0.68–0.97) and magnesium (OR(BMI) = 0.69, 95%CI: 0.47–0.99; OR(BSA) = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.52–0.97) were significantly associated with the odds of obesity/overweight (in both BMI and BSA categories). CONCLUSION: The significant association between micronutrient levels of the diet, especially of vitamin C and magnesium, with both obesity criteria, emphasized the importance of certain micronutrients in the obesity/overweight causal network.