Research

Mixed

Adjusting nutrient intakes for energy intake reported by FFQ in epidemiological studies may introduce substantial error due to large individual variations in reporting accuracy.

When analyzing large datasets where nutrient intake is adjusted for total energy reported via FFQ, be aware that this correction might not fix the problem of misreporting. Since individuals vary wildly in how accurately they report calories (from 44% to 160% of actual), this adjustment could skew results in unpredictable ways. Consider the limitations of the FFQ when interpreting nutrient-disease links derived this way.

GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
However, the large differences found on the individual level may affect the results of epidemiological studies in an unknown direction if nutrients are corrected for energy intakes reported by FFQ.
Els Siebelink et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2011

Why this rating

Based on the same high-quality validation data showing individual error ranges.

Source

Self-reported energy intake by FFQ compared with actual energy intake to maintain body weight in 516 adults

Els Siebelink et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2011

DOI 10.1017/s0007114511000067

cross_sectional · n=516Cited 270×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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