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Alcohol energy intake and habitual physical activity in older adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Klaas R. Westerterp*
Affiliation:
Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
Erwin P. Meijer
Affiliation:
Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
Annelies H. C. Goris
Affiliation:
Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
Arnold D. M. Kester
Affiliation:
Department of Methodology and Statistics, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Klaas R. Westerterp, fax +31 43 3670976, email k.westerterp@hb.unimaas.nl
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Abstract

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Alcohol forms a significant component of many diets and it supplements rather than displaces daily energy intake. Surprisingly, alcohol intake does not systematically increase body weight. The present study assessed whether a higher level of habitual physical activity in the daily environment is associated with a higher alcohol intake. Alcohol intake as part of total food intake was measured with a 7 d dietary record while at the same time physical activity was monitored with a tri-axial accelerometer for movement registration. Subjects were twenty women and twenty-four men, aged 61±5 years, of BMI 27·1±4·6 kg/m2. Between subjects, there was a positive association between the level of habitual physical activity and alcohol intake (r 0·41; P<0·01). The subjects with higher alcohol intake had a higher activity level. On days with and days without alcohol consumption there was no difference in physical activity within subjects. In conclusion, it was shown that subjects with higher alcohol consumption are habitually more active. This may explain the lack of increasing body weight through additional energy intake from alcohol.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2004

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