Intake of selected nutrients from foods, from fortification and from supplements in various European countries

Abstract

BackgroundRecent European Union regulation requires setting of maximum amount of micronutrients in dietary supplements or foods taking into account the tolerable upper intake level (ULs) established by scientific risk assessment and population reference intakes.ObjectiveTo collect and evaluate recently available data on intakes of selected vitamins and minerals from conventional foods, food supplements and fortified foods in adults and children. Intake of calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, folic acid, niacin and total vitamin A/retinol, B6, D and E was derived from nationally representative surveys in Denmark, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. Intake of high consumers, defined as the 95th percentile of each nutrient, was compared to the UL.ResultsFor most nutrients, adults and children generally consume considerably less than the UL with exceptions being retinol, zinc, iodine, copper and magnesium. The major contributor to intakes for all nutrients and in all countries is from foods in the base diet. The patterns of food supplements and voluntary fortification vary widely among countries with food supplements being responsible for the largest differences in total intakes. In the present study, for those countries with data on fortified foods, fortified foods do not significantly contribute to higher intakes for any nutrient. Total nutrient intake expressed as percentage of the UL is generally higher in children than in adults.ConclusionThe risk of excessive intakes is relatively low for the majority of nutrients with a few exceptions. Children are the most vulnerable group as they are more likely to exhibit high intakes relative to the UL. There is a need to develop improved methods for estimating intakes of micronutrients from fortified foods and food supplements in future dietary surveys.

Gender Differences in Food Choice and Dietary Intake in Modern Western Societies

“…Minimum and maximum values (ranges) observed in average per-capita daily intakes in females per each country overlap those of males. These findings are in agreement with data obtained in previous studies (Flynn et al, 2009 ;Reynolds at al., 1999). In the European Health and Nutrition report (ENHR II, Elmafda, 2009), solely for carbohydrates were found differences in the percentage of the average daily energy intake equal or higher than 5% among adults (10% in Estonia, and Lithuania; 9% in Czech Republic; 8% in Austria, Poland, Denmark, and Germany; 7% in Hungary, Portugal, and Finland; 5% in Latvia; less than 5% resulted in Greece, Sweden, France, Spain, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Romania, Norway, and Italy), and elderly (10% United Kingdom and Denmark; 9% Germany; 7% in Hungary and Romania; 5% Poland and Greece; less than 5% France, Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, and Italy).…”

“…As expected, men consume more energy than women (Figure 1), similarly to what is reported in other studies like a cross-country comparison (Flynn et al 2009), or a cross-studies analysis (Reynolds et al 1999). This difference occurs even though men and women show a similar food volume consumption (Marti-Henneberg et al 1999).…”

The impact of voluntary food fortification on micronutrient intakes and status in European countries: a review

“…Flynn et al (23) evaluated intakes of micronutrients derived from nine nationally representative surveys in Europe and found for most nutrients, adults and children generally consume considerably less than the UL. For some micronutrients (retinol, zinc, iodine, copper and magnesium) small proportions of the population, particularly children, exceeded the UL.…”

Consumo De Alimentos Fortificados en Estudiantes Secundarios De La Región Metropolitana De Chile

“…Al igual que en Europa nuestros datos sugieren que el consumo de forma natural es el principal aporte de vitaminas (16), quizás con excepción de los folatos donde nuestra ingesta es superior al consumo europeo pero similar a los Estados Unidos (10). En Estados Unidos los alimentos presentan un mayor grado de enriquecimiento que en países europeos (16).…”