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A group of scientists have published an observational study in Nutrition & Diabetes, that looked at pasta consumption and BMI. They reported that pasta consumption is associated with a lower BMI.
Dr Gunter Kuhnle, Associate Professor in Nutrition and Health, University of Reading, said:
“The method used by the authors to measure diet is commonly used in many observational studies and relies mainly on self-reporting. This is of course always limited because it requires participants to remember their diet and report it accurately. However, this method has been used successfully for many years and there are methods to address limitations to some extent.
“In this context, it is however important to understand that ‘pasta intake’ cannot be seen in isolation but that it is part of a dietary pattern. In this study, people who consumed a lot of pasta also followed a traditional “Mediterranean diet”, which is not surprising as the study was conducted in a Mediterranean population. Pasta intake could therefore be mainly a marker for adherence to this kind of diet.
“What is interesting however is, that these results clearly show that it is wrong to demonise carbohydrates as the data clearly show that consumption of a carbohydrate rich food such as pasta does not have to have an adverse effect on body weight. The results of this study confirm current dietary recommendations and support the recommendation for a balanced diet.”
* ‘Pasta consumption is negatively associated with body mass Q1 index and waist-to-hip ratio: results from Moli-Sani and INHES studies’ by Pounis et al. will be published in Nutrition & Diabetes on Monday 4th July.
Declared interests
Dr Gunter Kuhnle: Employment: Associate Professor at the University of Reading. Grant funding: Investigation of links between polyphenol intake and health – EU, Mars, Horizon. Appointments: EFSA Working group – risk assessment of soy isoflavones. Memberships: British Mass Spectrometry Society, British Nutrition Society, Registered Nutritionist (Reg. Nr. 8236); 2011 to 2012 member of ‘Biomarker group’ at ILSI Europe. Other financial interests: Vineyard owned by family.