Iron intake and dietary sources of iron in Flemish adolescents

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the dietary iron intake and food sources of iron in Flemish adolescents. Design: Cross-sectional survey; dietary assessment method: a 7-day estimated food record. Setting: Private and public secondary schools in Ghent, a city in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Subjects: A total of 341 adolescents (129 boys and 212 girls), 13-18 y, randomly selected by a multistage clustered sampling technique. Results: The mean total iron intake (s.d.) for boys was 13.4 (72.91) mg/day and for girls 10.1 (72.79) mg/day. A proportion of 38.8% of the boys and 99.5% of the girls had a mean total iron intake below the Belgian Recommended Dietary Allowance and 3.1% of the boys and 71.2% of the girls below the British Estimated Average Requirement. When bioavailable iron intake is considered, 84.5% of the boys and only 16.5% of the girls met the age-specific requirement. The food groups with the highest mean proportional contribution to total iron intake in both males and females were bread, meat and meat products, cereals and potatoes. A comparison of adolescents from the highest tertile of iron intake (mg/day) with adolescents from the lowest tertile showed a significantly higher energy-adjusted intake of brown bread and a significantly lower intake of soft drinks in the former group in both boys and girls. A significantly higher energy-adjusted intake of breakfast cereals in adolescents of the highest tertile than those of the lowest tertile was seen in girls only. Analyses in consumers only did not change this overall picture. Conclusions: One can conclude that the mean iron intake of Flemish girls is considerably lower than the current recommendations. An increased iron intake in this subgroup of the population is therefore advisable.

Adolescentes modelos de passarela: como é o consumo alimentar deste grupo?

“…The qualitative analysis of iron intake showed that a significant number of models had mean intakes below the EAR. Studies conducted both here in Brazil and internationally have shown inadequate iron intake among adolescents (3,29) . An earlier study of 110 models showed a 15.5% prevalence of anemia, which is a worrying figure when one is dealing with models whose daily routine is one of tests and shows that often take the entire day and may contribute to inadequate nutrition because of missing meals that are important for iron intake (such as a midday meal).…”

Intake and dietary sources of haem and non-haem iron in Flemish preschoolers

“…Long term, inadequate iron intake can lead to iron deficiency anaemia, loss of appetite, lassitude, delayed psychomotor and cognitive infant and child development and lower resistance to infection. 2,3 Pynaert et al 4 reported insufficient iron intakes among Belgian adolescents investigated in 1997, with 99.5% of the 13 --18-yearold girls and 38.8% of the boys not reaching Belgian dietary recommendations. 4 When bioavailable iron was considered (using absorption factors of 25% for haem iron 3 and 10% for non-haem iron, 5 84.5% of the adolescent boys and only 16.5% of the girls met the age-specific requirement.…”

“…2,3 Pynaert et al 4 reported insufficient iron intakes among Belgian adolescents investigated in 1997, with 99.5% of the 13 --18-yearold girls and 38.8% of the boys not reaching Belgian dietary recommendations. 4 When bioavailable iron was considered (using absorption factors of 25% for haem iron 3 and 10% for non-haem iron, 5 84.5% of the adolescent boys and only 16.5% of the girls met the age-specific requirement. 4 However, there are no data related to the intake of bioavailable iron among Belgian children.…”

“…4 When bioavailable iron was considered (using absorption factors of 25% for haem iron 3 and 10% for non-haem iron, 5 84.5% of the adolescent boys and only 16.5% of the girls met the age-specific requirement. 4 However, there are no data related to the intake of bioavailable iron among Belgian children. Moreover, there are no biochemical data on iron status in this population group.…”

Evaluation of a 2-day food record to determine iron, calcium and vitamin C intake in young Belgian women

“…The rationale for this research was the low iron intake found in Flemish adolescent girls (Pynaert et al, 2005). The study in adult women was aimed at exploring to what extent this low iron intake persists later in life and whether a low iron intake is also reflected in a low iron status.…”