Development and Validation of a Food Frequency Questionnaire for the Assessment of Dietary Total Antioxidant Capacity ,2

Abstract

The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the diet may be an important tool to monitor the protective effect of plant foods in epidemiological studies. We developed a semi-quantitative FFQ for the assessment of dietary TAC by 3 different assays, i.e., Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP) and ferric reducing-antioxidant power (FRAP). The FFQ consists of 53 questions about the major sources of dietary TAC in Northern Italy and was validated against a 3-d weighed food record (3D-WR) in 285 individuals (159 males and 126 females) aged 35-88 y and living in the province of Parma (Italy). Plasma TAC was also evaluated in a subgroup of subjects using the TEAC and FRAP assays. The FFQ was associated with 3D-WR (quadratic-weighted kappa = 0.49 for TEAC, 0.53 for TRAP, and 0.49 for FRAP; P < 0.0001) and proved reasonably accurate to classify individuals into quartiles of TAC intake. The FFQ had a good repeatability when readministered after 1 y in 55 subjects (quadratic-weighted kappa for intertertile agreement = 0.66 for TEAC, 0.70 for TRAP and 0.68 for FRAP; P < 0.0001). With both dietary instruments, the main contributors to TAC intake were coffee and tea in women and alcoholic beverages in men, followed by fruits and vegetables in both sexes. Plasma TAC and dietary TAC were not associated. In conclusion, our FFQ has the potential for being used to rank subjects on the basis of their antioxidant intake as determined by dietary TAC in large epidemiological studies. The FFQ should be validated in external populations before being used for research purposes.

A study testing the usefulness of a dish-based food-frequency questionnaire developed for epidemiological studies in Korea

“…with previous developed FFQ in Korea (11,17,18) and other countries (4,9,10,22) . The main reduction from the initial 993 dishes compiled in the 24 h recall to the ninety-five dishes in the FFQ resulted from aggregating 359 items to ninety-five usable dishes in the last step.…”

Antioxidant capacity and antioxidants of strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry leaves

“…Therefore, the AC of herbal infusions were compared to the capacities of other sources of antioxidants in the forms in which they are taken in a common diet (Figure 2). The selected beverages like tea, wine, vegetable, and fruit beverages are preferred among consumers and significantly contribute to the total intake of antioxidants (Svilaas et al 2004;Pellegrini et al 2007). The method with the stable DPPH radical was used for the determination of the AC.…”

Total dietary antioxidant capacity and lung function in an Italian population: a favorable role in premenopausal/never smoker women

“…The food frequency questionnaire was specifically validated for dietary TAC assessment against TRAP, FRAP and TEAC values estimated by a 3-day weighed food record and plasma TEAC and FRAP in a group of healthy Italian adults (Pellegrini et al, 2007).…”