Despite guidance to consume a variety of foods, the role of dietary variety in ensuring nutrient adequacy is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether a commodity-based measure of dietary variety was associated with the probability of nutrient adequacy after adjusting for energy and food group intakes. Subjects were 4969 men and 4800 women >/= 19 y old who participated in the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes for Individuals 1994-1996. Using 24-h recall data, the mean probability of adequacy across 15 nutrients was calculated using the Dietary Reference Intakes. Dietary variety was defined using a commodity-based method similar to that used for the Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Associations were examined in gender-specific multivariate regression models. Energy intake was a strong predictor of the mean probability of adequacy in models controlled for age, BMI, education level, and ethnicity (model R(2) = 0.60 and 0.54 for men and women, respectively). Adding the number of servings from each of the 5 Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) groups to the models significantly improved the model fit (R(2) = 0.69 and 0.66 for men and women). Adding dietary variety again significantly improved the model fit for both men and women (R(2) = 0.73 and 0.70, respectively). Variety counts within the dairy and grain groups were most strongly associated with improved nutrient adequacy. Dietary variety as defined by the HEI contributes an additional component of dietary quality that is not captured by FGP servings or energy intake.
Participants of the Multiethnic Cohort Study in Hawaii and Los Angeles, California, a representative sample of African-American, Native Hawaiian, Latino, Japanese-American, and White adults, completed a baseline questionnaire in 1993-1996 assessing dietary supplement use during the past year as well as demographic, dietary, and other lifestyle factors. Factors associated with supplement use were examined among those who reported an absence of chronic disease (n = 100,196). Use of any of eight supplements at least once per week during the past year ranged from 44% among Hawaiian men to 75% among Japanese-American and White women. Multivitamins were the most frequently reported supplement; 48% of the men and 56% of the women reported regular use. Dietary supplement use was high across all ethnic groups, although levels and length of regular use varied. In all gender-specific ethnic groups, supplement use tended to increase with age, education, physical activity, fruit intake, and dietary fiber intake and to decrease with obesity, smoking, and dietary fat intake. Participants whose lifestyles were healthier were more likely to use dietary supplements. Therefore, it may be difficult to separate the effects of supplement use from other lifestyle factors when studying disease etiology.
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