Objective: To investigate the association between dietary patterns (DP) and over weight risk in the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Surveys (MANS) of 2003 and 2014. Design: DP were derived from the MANS FFQ using principal component analysis. The cross-sectional association of the derived DP with prevalence of overweight was analysed. Setting: Malaysia. Participants: Nationally representative sample of Malaysian adults from MANS (2003, n 6928; 2014, n 3000). Results: Three major DP were identified for both years. These were ‘Traditional’ (fish, eggs, local cakes), ‘Western’ (fast foods, meat, carbonated beverages) and ‘Mixed’ (ready-to-eat cereals, bread, vegetables). A fourth DP was generated in 2003, ‘Flatbread & Beverages’ (flatbread, creamer, malted beverages), and 2014, ‘Noodles & Meat’ (noodles, meat, eggs). These DP accounted for 25·6 and 26·6 % of DP variations in 2003 and 2014, respectively. For both years, Traditional DP was significantly associated with rural households, lower income, men and Malay ethnicity, while Western DP was associated with younger age and higher income. Mixed DP was positively associated with women and higher income. None of the DP showed positive association with overweight risk, except for reduced adjusted odds of overweight with adherence to Traditional DP in 2003. Conclusions: Overweight could not be attributed to adherence to a single dietary pattern among Malaysian adults. This may be due to the constantly morphing dietary landscape in Malaysia, especially in urban areas, given the ease of availabil ity and relative affordability of multi-ethnic and international foods. Timely surveys are recommended to monitor implications of these changes

Background. An accurate measurement of body composition among the elderly is important to diagnose various clinical conditions associated with muscle loss (e.g. sarcopenia and cachexia). Methods. 55 men and 23 women (mean age, 66.9 years) were included in this validation study. The skinfold thickness technique (SKF) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were validated against dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in terms of fat mass percentage (%FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) among lean and obese sarcopenic elderly. Three different machines were used for BIA: Omron HBF-510, Tanita BC-418, and Maltron-916. Results. Agreement between DEXA and the Maltron-916 was the best, with mean bias in %FM being 2.8% and 0.6%, and in FFM being -1.7 kg and -1.2 kg for the lean and obese sarcopenics, respectively. Respectively for Tanita BC-418, Omron-HBF-510, and SKF, the mean biases in %FM were 3.4%, 5.2%, and 6.4% among lean sarcopenics, and 1.8%, 8.3%, and 9.1% among obese sarcopenics, whereas the mean biases in FFM were -2.2 kg, -3.4 kg, and -3.9 kg among the former, and -2.1 kg, -6.8 kg, and -7.4 kg among the latter. Accuracy in assessing %FM and FFM was higher in the obese than lean sarcopenics. Conclusions. Maltron-916 agreed with DEXA the most in measuring body composition, compared with the other BIA machines and SKF. Nonetheless, caution should be exercised when assessing lean sarcopenic elderly people.

Background. An accurate measurement of body composition among the elderly is important to diagnose various clinical conditions associated with muscle loss (e.g. sarcopenia and cachexia). Methods. 55 men and 23 women (mean age, 66.9 years) were included in this validation study. The skinfold thickness technique (SKF) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were validated against dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in terms of fat mass percentage (%FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) among lean and obese sarcopenic elderly. Three different machines were used for BIA: Omron HBF-510, Tanita BC-418, and Maltron-916. Results. Agreement between DEXA and the Maltron-916 was the best, with mean bias in %FM being 2.8% and 0.6%, and in FFM being -1.7 kg and -1.2 kg for the lean and obese sarcopenics, respectively. Respectively for Tanita BC-418, Omron-HBF-510, and SKF, the mean biases in %FM were 3.4%, 5.2%, and 6.4% among lean sarcopenics, and 1.8%, 8.3%, and 9.1% among obese sarcopenics, whereas the mean biases in FFM were -2.2 kg, -3.4 kg, and -3.9 kg among the former, and -2.1 kg, -6.8 kg, and -7.4 kg among the latter. Accuracy in assessing %FM and FFM was higher in the obese than lean sarcopenics. Conclusions. Maltron-916 agreed with DEXA the most in measuring body composition, compared with the other BIA machines and SKF. Nonetheless, caution should be exercised when assessing lean sarcopenic elderly people.