Abstract:

Introduction: With changes in the epidemiological and nutritional profile of the world population it is necessary to study food consumption to clarify associations between diet and diseases such as obesity. Objective: To evaluate dietary intake and its nutritional adequacy in obese adults. Methodology: It is a cross-sectional study with 50 patients, aged between 18 and 60 years, attended at a University Hospital. Weight and height were measured, for the calculation of Body Mass Index; body composition was evaluated by bioimpedance; food consumption evaluation, using the 24-hour recall. The macronutrients adequacy based on the recommendations of the Organization World Health Organization, and for fibers from the Dietary Reference Intakes. Results and discussion: The mean Body mass index was 37.33 kg / m2. Regarding body composition, the mean value in kg for fat mass and lean skeletal muscle  was 43.55 and 31.78, respectively. In the food evaluation, we found mean values of 1,937.28 Kcal, below the recommended for carbohydrates (51,25%), above recommended for proteins (19,94%), suitable for lipids (28,31%) and below recommended fiber for men (27.52g) and above for women (38.20g). Conclusion: The energy intake, macronutrients and fibers do not have the capacity to explain themselves the nutritional status of the study population, since hormonal, psychological and physical activity factors might lead to obesity, however, a hyperproteic diet has been characterized, with a reduction in the carbohydrate consumption and low in fiber for men and high for women.

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