Associations between dietary exposures in childhood and adulthood and cardiometabolic health: mapping the literature and a case study on breakfast consumption

Abstract

Associations between dietary exposures and cardiometabolic health are typically examined in adulthood but would ideally be examined based on measurements of a dietary exposure in both childhood and adulthood. Such research is not well-characterised or synthesised. This thesis aimed to map the literature on associations between dietary exposures in childhood and adulthood and cardiometabolic health, review the evidence on associations between breakfast consumption in childhood and adulthood and cardiometabolic health, and examine associations between breakfast consumption in adolescence and adulthood and body mass index (BMI) in a Danish cohort. The first aim was achieved by a systematic scoping review. The second aim was achieved by a systematic review. The third aim was achieved by analysing Danish cohort data to assess differences in BMI between breakfast consumption groups and associations between change in breakfast frequency and BMI. The scoping review revealed the limited literature on associations between dietary exposures in childhood and adulthood and cardiometabolic health. The systematic review found evidence of poor quality to suggest that consuming breakfast in both life stages was associated with the greatest benefits to cardiometabolic health and that an increase in breakfast consumption from childhood to adulthood was also associated with cardiometabolic benefits. The analysis of Danish cohort data found evidence to suggest the relationship between breakfast consumption in adolescence and adulthood and adult BMI varies by socioeconomic status. There is a dearth of evidence on associations between dietary exposures in childhood and adulthood and cardiometabolic health. In the case of breakfast consumption, there is low quality evidence to suggest beneficial associations which may vary by socioeconomic status. The findings from this thesis demonstrate the value of childhood-to-adulthood measures of dietary exposures in nutrition epidemiology.