Familial Dietary Patterns: IV. Daily Protein Consumption

Introduction

Early reports disclosed a significant positive correlation of general clinical symptoms and sígns^1,2 and psychologic responses³ in married couples. Subsequent studies revealed similar parallelisms with regard to blood glucose⁴ and serum cholesterol.⁵ This series of reports is designed to study possible environmental causation in the above mentioned clinical and biochemical areas through a study of familial dietary habits. The first three in this series analyzed the total caloric consumption,⁶ dietary carbohydrate intake,⁷ and fat consumption.⁸ This fourth release attempts to answer the following three questions:

1. What is the relationship of daily total and animal protein consumption in married couples?
2. How does the husband-wife correlation compare with the protein patterns in the husband versus an age-paired, unrelated female group?
3. What conclusion may be drawn from these two sets of findings?

Method of Investigation

Three hundred forty-one dentists and their wives shared in this study. These individuals are presently participants in multiphasic screening programs conducted in Los Angeles under the auspices of the Southern California Academy of Nutritional Research, in Columbus under the aegis of the Ohio Academy of Clinical Nutrition, and in Florida under the sponsorship of the Southern Academy of Clinical Nutrition. Specifically, three groups were studied: 82 dental practitioners, 82 wives, and 82 women (wives of other dentists), age-paired with the wives. The age patterns for the three groups are summarized (Table 1).

 

Table 1–Age Distribution

age groups	males	wives	unrelated females
20-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60-69  total  mean  S.D.  minimum  maximum  range *approximate	1 (1.2%)  33 (40.2%)  35 (42.7%)  12 (14.6%)  1 (1.2%)  82 (100.0%)*  41.7  7.0  29  60  31	5 (6.1%)  38 (46.3%)  34 (41.5%)  3 (3.7%)  2 (2.4%)  82 (100.0%)  39.4  7.3  26  60  34	5 (6.1%)  38 (46.3%)  34 (41.5%)  3 (3.7%)  2 (2.4%)  82 (100.0%)  39.4  7.3  26  60  34

 

Each subject completed a seven-day dietary record. The daily total and refined protein intake was calculated by Doctor Michael Walsh, Consultant-Nutritionist, Beverly Hills, California. Table 2 summarizes the daily total protein intake. It will be noted that there is a statistically significant difference in the husbands and the wives. There is no statistically significant difference between the two female groups. Table 3 analyzes, in like manner, the daily animal protein consumption. The statistical analysis for daily animal protein intake is similar to that observed for total protein.

 

Table 2–Daily Total Protein Consumption

daily protein intake (gms.)	males	wives	unrelated females
4-49  50-59  60-69  70-79  80-89  90-99  100+  total  m ean  S.D.  minimum  maximum  range	0  0  1  7  9  16  49  82  111 27  67  213  146	4  4  17  22  13  13  9  82  78  18  22  127  105	4  6  15  20  14  10  13  82  79  21  22  127  105
P	<0.001*             >0.500

*statistically significant difference of the means

 

Table 3–Daily Animal Protein Consumption

daily protein intake (gms.)	males	wives	unrelated females
0-49  50-59  60-69  70-79  80-89  9D-99  100+  total  mean  S.D.  minimum  maximum  range	4  6  11  16  15  10  20  82  86  25  39  180  141	22 22  18  9  7  2  2  82  60  17  9  104  95	21  21  18  7  8  3  4  82 61  19  9  113  104
P	<0.001*             >0.500

*statistically significant difference of the means

 

Results

Question One: In order to resolve the first question, a correlation coefficient was performed for the husband versus the wife (Table 4) with respect to total protein intake. It will be noted that there is a statistically significant positive correlation (r = +0.308, P < 0.01). Thus, in partial answer to the first question, the daily total protein consumption is similar in the married couple (Figure 1). Table 5 is a similar analysis for daily animal protein consumption. It is clear that there is a statistically significant correlation coefficient (r = +0.242, P < 0.05) in married couples (Figure 2). Hence, as an additional answer to the first question, there is also a statistically significant relationship with regard to animal protein intake.

 

Table 4–Correlation Coefficients For Daily Total Protein Consumption

	number of pairs	r	P
husband vs. wife  husband vs. unrelated female  wife vs. unrelated female  husband vs. wife (husba nd’ s age < 41)  (husba nd’s age 41+)  husband vs. unrelated female (husband’s age < 41)  (husband ‘s age 41+)  wife vs. unrelated female (age < 40)  (age 40+)	82  82  82   40  42    40  42    43  39	+0.308  +0.014  -0.099    +0.271  +0.343    +0.100  -0.071    -0.065  -0.150	< 0.01*  > 0.05  > 0.05    > 0.05  < 0.05*   > 0.05  > 0.05   > 0.05  > 0.05

*statistically significant correlation coefficient

Figure 1. The relationship of daily total protein intake in the husband (on the abscissa) and the wife (on the ordinate).

 

Table 5–Correlation Coefficients for Daily Animal Protein Consumption 

	number of pairs	r	P
husband vs. wife  husband vs. unrelated female  wife vs. unrelated female  husband vs. wife (husband’s age < 41)  (husba nd’s age 41+)  husband vs. unrelated female (husband’s age < 41)  (husband’s age 41+)  wife vs. unrelated female (age < 40)  (age 40+)	82  82  82   40  42    40  42    43  39	+0.242  +0.003  -0.057   +0.278  +0.216    -0.010  +0.011   -0.051  -0.064	< 0.05*  > 0.05  > 0.05    > 0.05  > 0.05    > 0.05  < 0.05    > 0.05  > 0.05

*statistically significant correlation coefficient

Figure 2. The relationship of daily animal protein intake in the husband (on the X-axis) and the wife (on the Y-axis).

 

Question Two: Women age-paired against the wives were used as a third group in the study. The correlation coefficients (Tables 4-5) between the husband and the unrelated female are not statistically significant in either case. Therefore, in answer to the second question, there is no significant correlation with regard to daily total protein or animal protein consumption in men and women unrelated by marriage.

Discussion

Within the limits of this study, daily total and animal protein consumption is significantly correlated in married couples, but this parallelism does not prevail when the husband is compared with an unrelated, age-paired female.

The question arises whether men and women with common protein needs or consumption select each other as husband and wife. To resolve this question, the groups were subdivided as near equally as possible into two age categories. Thus, one group of men ranged up to 40 years of age and the other group from 41 and above.

Question Three: An analysis of the daily total protein intake (Table 4) in the husband and wife revealed that in the younger age group there is no statistically significant correlation (r = +0.271, P >0.05). In contrast, the correlation is statistically significant in the older group (r = +0.343, P<0.05). Thus, during the early years of marriage, there is no statistically significant parallelism in the husband and the wife. As the marriage matures, which can be interpreted to mean more years together, these dietary practices apparently become similar in terms of total protein intake (Figure 1). Similar age analysis between the husband and the unrelated female and the two female groups show no statistically significant relationship. An analysis of the younger and older couples with regard to daily animal protein shows (Table 5) no statistically significant correlation in either group (Figure 2).

An earlier study of total caloric intake⁶ revealed that, although the initial correlation between husband and wife was statistically significant, it did not increase with age (Table 6). Another report regarding total and refined carbohydrate consumption⁷ suggested that, with advancing age, both total and refined carbohydrate intake paralleled in the husband and the wife (Table 6). A subsequent report⁸ showed that, with regard to fat intake, the parallelism vanishes with time (Table 6). Finally, in the case of protein, the correlation only becomes greater and significantly so with total protein intake (Table 6). Hence, it is likely that among the major foodstuffs only total protein, total carbohydrate and refined carbohydrate may be ascribed important roles in the genesis of the clinical,^1,2 psychologic,³ and biochemical^4,5 findings mentioned earlier.

 

Table 6–Husband Versus Wife Correlation Coefficients for the Daily Consumption of the Major Foodstuffs

	younger couples	older couples
calories  total carbohydrate  refined carbohydrate  fat  total protein  animal protein  *p < 0.05  **p < 0.01	+0.419**  +0.473**  +0.442**  +0.586**  +0.271  +0.28	+0.336*  +0.652**  +0.669**  +0.223  +0.343*  +0.216

 

Summary

Eighty-two dental practitioners, 82 wives, and 82 women (wives of other dentists) age-paired with the wives, were studied in terms of daily total and animal protein consumption. For the entire sample, the evidence suggests that there is only a statistically significant correlation in the married couples. The results are very similar to the findings in this group with regard to daily total calories, total and refined carbohydrates and fat. However, with age, the correlation in the married couples only becomes more statistically significant with regard to total protein intake.

 

References Cited:

1. Cheraskin, E. and Ringsdorf, W. M., Jr. “Frequency of Reported Symptoms and Signs in the Dentist and His Wife.” Geriatrics 23, 158 (1968).
2. Cheraskin, E. and Ringsdorf, W. M., Jr. “Familial Clinical  Patterns: I. Reported Symptoms and Signs in the Dentist and His Wife.” Geriatrics 25, 123 (1970).
3. Cheraskin, E. and Ringsdorf, W. M., Jr. “Familiar Factors in Psychic Adjustment.” J. Amer. Geriat. Soc. 17, 609 (1969).
4. Cheraskin, E. Ringsdorf, W. M., Jr., Setyaadmadja, A. T. S. H., Barrett, R. A., Sibley, G. T. and Reid, R. W. “Environmental Factors in Blood Glucose Regulation.” J. Amer. Geriat. Soc. 16, 823 (1968). J. Appl. Nutrit. 22, 17 (1970).
5. Cheraskin, E. and Ringsdorf. W. M.. Jr. “Familial Biochemical Patterns: I. Serum Cholesterol in the Dentist and his Wife.” J. Atheroscl. Res. 11, 247 (1970).
6. Cheraskin, E. and Ringsdorf, W. M., Jr. “Familial Dietary Patterns: I. Daily Caloric Consumption.” J. Appl. Nutrit. 2 1: # 3 & 4, 70 -73, Winter 1969.
7. Cheraskin, E. and Ringsdorf, W. M., Jr. “Familial Dietary Patterns: II. Daily Carbohydrate Consumption.” J. Appl. Nutrit. 22, 17 (1970).
8. Cheraskin, E. and Ringsdorf. W.M., Jr. “Familial Dietary Patterns: Ill. Daily Fat Consumption.” J. Appl. Nutrit. 22, 68 (1970).