Effects of dietary patterns, dietary glycemic load and physical activity level on the weight status of healthy female Omani university students

The Glycemic Load (GL) of a food or mixed meal is defined as the amount of carbohydrates in grams contained in each serving of food or meal multiplied by its Glycemic Index (GI) and divided by 100. The dietary GL score for an entire day is calculated as the sum of the GL for all the individual food servings consumed. The present study was conducted to compare the changes in dietary patterns and to correlate the daily dietary GL intake and physical activity level in female university students with their weight gain/loss status over a period of 6 months. Two hundred healthy female university students (18-25 years of age) living in hostels at Sultan Qaboos University campus were randomly recruited for this study. The dietary food intake data was collected at two occasions (day 1 and after 6 months) using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire in personal interviews. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences and waist to hip ratio as well as the physical activity level were evaluated. ¹The results showed that the dietary intake patterns of students changed from their usual home eating patterns while residing at the university campus. The subjects consumed low glycemic load diets, showed a slight reduction in body weight and maintained a normal BMI with a score of waist/hip ratio < 1, with no significant differences in the time spent for physical activity as well as the physical activity factor as determined by TANITA. The volunteers were consuming low GL-diets that appear to be a major determinant of their weight status independent of physical activity level.