The relationship between energy and macronutrient intake with nutritional status in Sundanese young women with high body fat

Obesity prevalence among Indonesian women has notably risen, potentially due to shifts in dietary patterns and lifestyle changes. This research explored the association between energy and macronutrient intake and the nutritional status of Sundanese young women with high body fat. The study involved 88 Sundanese women aged 18 to 25 years, all of whom had a total body fat percentage exceeding 35%. Dietary intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to estimate energy and macronutrient consumption. The result shows that energy intake had a weak negative relationship with waist circumference (r =− 0.221, P = 0.039) and body fat (r = − 0.278, P = 0.009). Similarly, fat intake exhibited a weak negative relationship with body fat (r = − 0.216, P = 0.043). Carbohydrate intake was weakly negatively related to body weight (r = − 0.223, P = 0.037) and body fat (r = − 0.246, P = 0.021) while demonstrating a moderate negative relationship with waist circumference (r = − 0.310, P = 0.003). Additionally, fiber intake showed a weak negative correlation with waist circumference (r = -0.253, P = 0.017). This absence of association may be due to the chronic and cumulative nature of obesity development, which occurs over time and may not align directly with current intake levels. The study's design may have resulted in a temporal mismatch as current intake may not accurately reflect the long-term dietary patterns contributing to obesity.