More to gain: dietary energy density is related to smoking status in US adults

R. Ross MacLean, Alexandra Cowan, Jacqueline A. Vernarelli

Given the current prevalence of both cigarette use and obesity in the United States, identification of dietary patterns that reduce mortality risk are important public health priorities. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between cigarette use and dietary energy density, a marker for diet quality, in a population of current smokers, former smokers, and never smokers. Data from a nationally representative sample of 5293 adults who participated in the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) were analyzed. Specific survey procedures were used in the analysis to account for sample weights, unequal selection probability, and clustered design when evaluating the association between dietary energy density (ED, energy per weight of food, kcal/g) and current smoking status. Never smokers reported < 100 lifetime cigarettes. Smokers were identified as individuals reporting > 100 lifetime cigarettes and current smoking status was recorded as daily, some days (nondaily), or not at all (former). A strong linear relationship was observed between smoking pattern and dietary ED in current smokers. Compared to never smokers, daily smokers and nondaily smokers have significantly higher dietary ED (1.79 vs. 2.02 and 1.88, respectively; both p < 0.05); demonstrating that any amount of current cigarette consumption is associated with poor diet. Though former smokers had a higher dietary ED than never smokers, this difference still significantly lower than that of current smokers (p = 0.002). These findings suggest that smoking status is associated with poor diet quality. Former smokers had a slightly lower ED value (1.84) than current non-daily smokers (1.89) but a higher value than never smokers (1.79).