ResearchOriginal ResearchDevelopment and Validation of a Comprehensive Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire that Includes FODMAP Intake and Glycemic Index
Section snippets
Methods
A 297-item comprehensive FFQ was designed to assess macronutrient and micronutrient intake, FODMAPs, fiber, starch, glycemic index, and glycemic load. The questionnaire was based on the Harvard FFQ (13), with sections divided into individual food groups. The FFQ included initial questions on vitamin/mineral supplementation, and then covered all food groups. Food lists were considerably expanded compared with existing FFQs because of the variability of FODMAP intake between similar foods (eg,
Subjects
Of 100 subjects who completed the FFQ and four 1-week food records, 72 were included in the analysis. Twelve subjects acknowledged that during the study they changed their diet substantially or had a substantial change in health; these included a new diagnosis of diabetes (n=1), a relapse of ulcerative colitis (n=2), commencement of a low FODMAP diet for irritable bowel syndrome (n=2), trial of dietary strategies to manage psoriasis (n=1), carbohydrate loading for a marathon (n=1), and major
Discussion
The importance of being able to simply and accurately assess FODMAP intake in individuals and specific populations, such as disease groups, has been highlighted by the impact that dietary modification of FODMAPs has had on functional gut symptoms and the putative role that FODMAPs might have on disease pathogenesis in gastrointestinal conditions. FFQs are the method of choice in this regard. The current study has shown that the 297-item semi-quantitative FFQ is a valid, reproducible tool to
Conclusions
A semi-quantitative FFQ has been developed and validated in an Australian population relevant to its intended use. It accurately and reproducibly assesses dietary intake of FODMAPs, a new class of carbohydrates emerging as important dietary components in the management of gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition, the comprehensive FFQ demonstrated good validation for assessment of total sugars, fiber, alcohol, average glycemic index, glucose, calcium, folate, phosphate, potassium, iron and
J. S. Barrett is an accredited practicing dietitian and lecturer, Monash University, Eastern Health Clinical School, Victoria, Australia.
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2021, HeliyonCitation Excerpt :Besides, the number of sample sizes could affect these LoA intervals. Preceding studies also reported a similarly wide range of LoA compared to the current study [15,33,42] as their sample sizes were only 72, 100, and 78 samples which were fewer compared to the current sample size [n = 106]. Another plausible reason such as "outliers" in each study might contribute to result in wider LoA.
J. S. Barrett is an accredited practicing dietitian and lecturer, Monash University, Eastern Health Clinical School, Victoria, Australia.
P. R. Gibson is a gastroenterologist and head of school, Monash University, Eastern Health Clinical School, Victoria, Australia.