Key result
The Nutrient Composition Diversity Index was positively associated with adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (HEI-2015) and micronutrient intake adequacy in healthy United States adults.
Why the study?
Research had yet to assess the Nutrient Composition Diversity Index (NCDI) using an extensive food composition database and repeated 24-h dietary intake data, or to test its associations with other aspects of dietary quality in US adults.
Cross-Sectional (n=377)
No
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
The Nutrient Composition Diversity Index is a valid metric for dietary diversity that correlates well with established measures of diet quality and micronutrient adequacy in healthy US adults.
Background Dietary diversity is an important component of dietary quality. The Nutrient Composition Diversity Index (NCDI) is a dietary diversity metric that quantifies dissimilarity among foods in a diet based on nutrient content. Research has yet to assess NCDI using an extensive food composition database and repeated 24-h dietary intake data or to test its associations with other aspects of dietary quality among United States adults. Objectives This study aimed to describe NCDI constructed from dietary data collected over 2 quantitative 24-h recalls in a sample of healthy United States adults and to assess its relationships with adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and micronutrient intake adequacy. Methods We analyzed cross-sectional dietary data from 377 participants (strata balanced for sex, age, and body mass index). Individual NCDI was scored using a dendrogram of 5628 foods and 30 nutrients from USDA food composition tables. We calculated usual NCDI to account for within-person dietary variability. Mean-standardized usual NCDI was compared with the 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, HEI-2015 dietary components, and mean probability of adequacy for 17 vitamins and minerals in linear regression models, and with nutrient intakes using Pearson correlations. Results Mean usual NCDI for the sample was 2.1% (standard deviation: 0.60), with an observed range of 0.81% to 4.0%; 70% of participants scored in the same or adjacent quintile of individual NCDI for their 2 recalls. NCDI was positively associated with HEI-2015 and with several HEI component scores while adjusting for total HEI-2015 ( P < 0.0001). NCDI was also positively associated with nutrient intakes and with mean probability of adequacy in bivariate and energy-adjusted models ( P < 0.0001). Conclusion NCDI measures the dissimilarity dimension of dietary diversity and shows expected day-to-day variability and associations with adherence to Dietary Guidelines for Americans and micronutrient intake adequacy.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Gersten et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy adults (n=377). Nutrient Composition Diversity Index (NCDI) was evaluated on Association between Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 score and mean-standardized usual NCDI (β 0.028, 95% CI 0.021-0.035, p=<0.001). The Nutrient Composition Diversity Index was positively associated with adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (HEI-2015) and micronutrient intake adequacy in healthy United States adults.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: