Resumen: Background: Evidence for the effect of dietary energy on BMI z-scores in young children is limited. We aim to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal effects of daily energy intake (EI) on BMI z-scores of European boys and girls considering growth-related height dependencies of EI using residual EI. Methods: To investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal effects of daily energy intake (EI) on BMI z-scores of European boys and girls considering growth-related height dependencies of EI using residual EI. Methods: Subjects were children aged 2-<10 y old (N=2753, 48.2% girls) participating in the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS) baseline and follow-up examination. Usual EI (kcal/day) was calculated based on the National Cancer Institute-method excluding subjects with implausible reported EI. Effect of age, height and sex-adjusted residuals of EI on BMI z-score was investigated stratified by baseline age -group (2-<4 y, 4-<6 y, 6-<8 y and 8-<10 y) cross-sectionally using linear regression models adjusted for relevant confounders (crude model: age, sex, country; fully adjusted model: plus parental ISCED level, parental BMI, screen time; subgroup analysis: plus objectively measured physical activity). Longitudinal associations were estimated between changes in (¿) residual EI per year and ¿BMI z-score per year with adjustments analogously to the cross-sectional models but with additional adjustment for residual EI at baseline. Results: Cross-sectionally, positive associations were observed between residual EI and BMI z-score for the full study sample, for boys and in older (=6years) but not in younger children in the crude and fully adjusted model. Longitudinally, small positive associations were observed between ¿residual EI per y on ¿BMI z-score per y for the full study sample and in 4-<6 y olds in the crude and fully adjusted model. Conclusion: In conclusion, EI above the average intakes for a certain sex, age and height are weakly associated with BMI z-scores in European children. Residual EI may be considered as a useful exposure measure in children as it accounts for growth-related changes in usual EI during childhood. Idioma: Inglés DOI: 10.1186/s12966-016-0344-3 Año: 2016 Publicado en: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 13, 23 (2016), [11 pp] ISSN: 1479-5868 Factor impacto JCR: 4.396 (2016) Categ. JCR: PHYSIOLOGY rank: 11 / 84 = 0.131 (2016) - Q1 - T1 Categ. JCR: NUTRITION & DIETETICS rank: 13 / 81 = 0.16 (2016) - Q1 - T1 Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 2.583 - Medicine (miscellaneous) (Q1) - Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation (Q1) - Nutrition and Dietetics (Q1)