Dietary Restraint Constructs Are Associated With Diet Quality and Nutrient Intake

OBJECTIVES: To examine and compare reported food and nutrient intake in men and women who differ in cognitive restraint (CR) and disinhibition (D) scores. We hypothesize that average intake of sodium, total sugar, saturated fat, and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores of diet quality will differ between low and high D groups. METHODS: 330 adults from a cross-sectional study who completed 3 dietary recalls and the three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ) were included in this analysis. Participants were classified into 4 groups based on TFEQ scores for CR and D: high CR + high D (CRD, n = 46); high CR + low D (CR, n = 104); low CR + high D (D, n = 42); and low CR + low D (LL, n = 138). The Automated Self-Administered 24-hour (ASA24) tool was used to obtain dietary recalls on 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day. Nutrient intakes were averaged for the 3 recalls, and HEI scores were calculated using the HEI-2015 scoring standards. Differences in average calories, sodium, total sugar, saturated fat, and HEI scores between groups were analyzed using analysis of covariance with age, sex, and BMI as covariates. RESULTS: There were differences in average sodium and saturated fat intake, with CR group reporting lower sodium intake (p = 0.041) and lower saturated fat (p = 0.007) intake compared to the LL group only. There were no differences in calorie or total sugar intake between groups. Interestingly, added sugar intake based on HEI-2015 scoring showed group differences, with CR reporting lower added sugar intake than LL group (p = 0.042). HEI subscore for refined grain intake was also higher in LL group compared to CR (p = 0.002) and CRD (p = 0.023). Total HEI score was lower in LL (59.5 ± 1.0) compared to CR (65.1 ± 1.15, p = 0.002) and CRD (65.6 ± 1.75, p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: High cognitive restraint was associated with a more “healthful” diet with lower sodium and saturated fat intakes compared to groups with low restraint. While there were no associations between total sugar intake and cognitive restraint, reduced consumption of added sugar and refined grains were reported by the cognitively restrained participants, regardless of disinhibition status. Contrary to our hypothesis, high cognitive restraint was the predominant behavior associated with diet quality, not disinhibition. FUNDING SOURCES: Funding was provided through the USDA.