Macro partitioning
Self-reported dietary energy intake in population surveys is systematically biased by macronutrient composition, specifically under-reporting protein and over-reporting fat relative to actual expenditure.
When analyzing dietary data or tracking your own intake, do not assume that your macronutrient ratios are accurate if your total calorie count is off. People who under-report calories tend to under-report protein and over-report fat. This bias distorts the perceived relationship between diet and health outcomes, meaning 'healthy' diets may appear even healthier than they are in self-reported data.
As the level of protein in the diet increased, the discrepancy became more negative... In contrast, as the percentage of fat energy in the diet increased, the discrepancy between the reported and predicted intake became more positive
Why this rating
Based on large, validated datasets (NHANES, NDNS) using Doubly Labeled Water as the gold standard.
Source
Predictive equation derived from 6,497 doubly labelled water measurements enables the detection of erroneous self-reported energy intake
Rania Bajunaid et al. · Nature Food · 2025
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