Food-intake patterns assessed by using front-of-pack labeling program criteria associated with better diet quality and lower cardiometabolic risk.

Background: Front-of-pack labeling systems may provide additional guidance to that already available to facilitate the identification of foods that improve diet quality.

Objective: We examined the association between choosing foods that meet criteria of an established front-of-pack labeling system with food-group and nutrient intakes and cardiometabolic risk factors.

Design: The association between the consumption of foods that met 2014 American Heart Association (AHA) Heart-Check Food Certification Program criteria and 2005 Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2005) scores, food-group intake, energy intake, nutrient intake, and cardiometabolic risk factors was analyzed in 11,296 men and women ≥ 19 y old by using 1-d dietary recall data from the NHANES 2007-2010. Individuals were categorized into consumers and nonconsumers of AHA Heart-Check Food Certification Program-certifiable foods and quartiles of intakes on the basis of the percentage of calories.

Results: The consumption of AHA Heart-Check Food Certification Program-certifiable foods was positively associated with HEI-2005 scores and fruit, vegetable, whole-grain, total sugar, fiber, potassium, calcium, and vitamin D intakes and inversely associated with the percentage of energy from saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, added sugars, alcohol, and intakes of cholesterol and sodium. The highest quartile of daily energy intake from AHA Heart-Check Food Certification Program-certifiable foods was associated with lower risk of obesity (26%), lower risk of elevated waist circumference (29%), and lower risk of metabolic syndrome (24%) than with lowest intakes (all P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The choice of foods meeting one front-of-pack labeling system positively influences food-group and nutrient intakes and is associated with a higher diet quality and lower risk of cardiometabolic syndrome.