Eating Frequency of Rice vs. Bread at Breakfast and Nutrient and Food-Group Intake among Japanese Female College Students

We examined the association between eating frequency of rice vs. bread at breakfast and nutrient and food-group intake among 1771 female college students aged 18-20 years. The frequency of main staples at breakfast and the nutrient and food group intake for the previous month were assessed with a validated self-administered diet history questionnaire. We divided main staples into rice, bread, and noodles. As the eating frequency for noodles was almost negligible, we computed the difference of eating frequency of rice minus that of bread(mean = 0.7 times/week). Among 16 nutrients examined, the difference of eating frequency correlated significantly and negatively only with fat intake, especially saturated fatty acid (SFA) (r=-0.31, p<0.001), and significantly and positively with the intake of n-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acid, iron, sodium, protein, carotene, potassium, dietary fiber, and vitamin C (r=0.08-0.15, p<0.001) after adjusting for the energy intake, the residential area, the population size, and the living status with their families. In conclusion, the more frequent intake of rice compared to bread at breakfast correlated with the higher intake of the several vitamins and minerals, and the lower intake of fat, especially SFA. The only unfavorable aspect of the rice group was the higher sodium intake.