The Relationship Between Meal Composition and the Body Composition of Wroclaw Medical University Students.

BACKGROUND/

OBJECTIVES

Appropriate nutrition is a foundation for maintaining good health. Especially for young people, it determines the proper growth and development. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between the dietary makeup of young adults and their body composition parameters.

METHODS

A total of 297 students of Wroclaw Medical University participated in the study. A questionnaire was administered to assess meal composition, and body composition, phase angle, and basal metabolic rate (BMR) were evaluated.

RESULTS

The greatest differences were observed in the consumption of grains, animal protein, and dairy products. Meals consumed by males contained mostly animal protein and grain products, whereas females' meals contained more fruit and vegetables. Correlations were observed between dinner, supper and the extracellular water/intracellular water (ECW/ICW) ratio, fat, water, and muscle body content, with r~ ±(0.134-0.163), and between the second breakfast and body mass index (BMI), and visceral fat level (respectively: -0.118; -0.149). Multivariate analysis indicated that consuming a balanced dinner has a significant impact on maintaining the appropriate proportions of body composition.

CONCLUSIONS

Analysis of the results suggests that proper composition of meals is associated with a lower BMI, reduced fat content, increased muscle mass, and better body hydration.