Diet quality and change in weight in young adults

Young adulthood is a key period for establishing long-term health behaviours, yet it is often marked by poor diet, which may lead to weight gain. In 304 participants from the Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) cohort study, followed from a mean age of 24.0 (2010-12) to 30.6 (2017-18), higher baseline diet quality was associated with minimal weight change over follow-up in females and males. Among females only with overweight or obesity, modest weight reductions were suggested - estimates were uncertain, as reflected by wide confidence intervals. These findings suggest that higher diet quality may be associated with more favourable weight trajectories and highlight the need for larger, sex-specific studies.