Americans need supplements, fortified foods to achieve nutrient intakes: Survey

By Stephen Daniells

- Last updated on GMT

Americans need supplements, fortified foods to achieve nutrient intakes: Survey

Related tags Dietary supplements Vitamin Nutrition

Most Americans are achieving the estimated average requirement (EAR) for a number of nutrients, with fortification and supplementation playing an important role in boosting intakes of key nutrients.

However, data from 16,110 Americans showed that between 34 and 70% have insufficient intakes nutrients, such as magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A, C, D, and E.

“Compared with intakes from naturally occurring nutrients, enrichment and/or fortification dramatically improved intakes of several key nutrients, including folate, thiamin, iron, and vitamins A and D,” ​report the researchers in the Journal of Nutrition​.

“Dietary supplements added to the intakes of those who used them and further reduced the percentage of the population below the EAR for magnesium and vitamins A, C, and E.”

Potassium and vitamin D are among the four nutrients identified by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans as of public concern.

In addition, vitamins A, C, and K, folate, and magnesium were listed as nutrients of concern for certain population subgroups.

Healthy diet + supplements

Commenting on the study, Cara Welch, PhD, VP of scientific and regulatory affairs with the Natural Products Association (NPA) told NutraIngredients-USA that the article was an “excellent example of why a healthy, balanced diet along with dietary supplements is necessary for the well-being of Americans”​.

“The examples of folate, thiamin and iron show the benefit of both fortification and supplementation by dramatically decreasing the percentage of Americans who are deficient,”​ said Dr Welch.

“Hopefully, with education and proper supplementation, these examples can be expanded to the other nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, E, and D.”

New data

Led by Victor Fulgoni III from Nutrition Impact LLC, the researchers used the National Cancer Institute method to assess intakes of 19 micronutrients in 7,250 American children (aged from 2 to 18) and 8,860 adults.

Results showed that less than 10% of the population had usual intakes vitamin B6, folate, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12, phosphorus, iron, copper, and selenium below the estimated average requirement (EAR).

However, higher percentages of the populations – from 34 to 70% - had intakes below the EAR for vitamins A, C, D, and E, calcium, and magnesium.

“Compared with intakes from naturally occurring nutrients, enrichment and/or fortification dramatically improved intakes of several key nutrients, including folate, thiamin, iron, and vitamins A and D. Dietary supplements added to the intakes of those who used them and further reduced the percentage of the population below the EAR for magnesium and vitamins A, C, and E,” ​wrote the researchers.

“Intakes from enrichment and/or fortification and from dietary supplements also increased the percentage of participants whose intakes exceeded the UL for niacin, vitamin A, folate, and zinc.

“Health professionals must be aware of the contribution that enrichment and/or fortification and dietary supplements make to the nutritional status of Americans.”

Source: Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi:10.3945/jn.111.142257
“Foods, Fortificants, and Supplements: Where Do Americans Get Their Nutrients?”
Authors: V.L. Fulgoni III, D.R. Keast, R.L. Bailey, J. Dwyer

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3 comments

EU NEED HIGH STRENGTH NUTRIENTS

Posted by harry,

People in EU countries need supplements of high strength vitamins herbs to maintain health especially to reduce the effect of chemical saturation that leaches body nutrition.

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What about micro-nutrients and phytochemicals

Posted by Mike Maybury,

The typical diet is based on unnatural refined food, much too much fat and mainly chemically fertilised food, which is clearly deficient in many nutrients. It doesn't matter how much you vary a diet which is based on chemically grown produce. If you then incluse a large proportion of expensive animal foods, you are asking for trouble.
Few of us can afford organically grown produce at present. It is up to government to stop subsidising the inefficient chemical foods and encourage proper healthy soil and natural organic vegetables and fruits, as free as possible from pesticides, which put a strain on our bodies.
Organically grown products are far richer in phytochemicals, which will benefit us when we consume them.

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BOOMERS ARE A DIVERSE GROUP THAT NEED A VARIETY OF FORTIFIED FOOD PRODUCTS

Posted by Team Fortitech,

Among the first things that should come to mind when this age group is considered, is their significant diversity. While this may be obvious in terms of the development of gender specific or regionally and culturally acceptable food products, there are clearly some general nutritional concerns in this group.

In adult women, several micronutrients, including Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron are less than optimal. Vitamin A is essential for proper skin and eye health and in the immune response to infection. Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that protects us from the damage of free radicals. Vitamin B6 is needed for protein metabolism, red blood cell formation, and antibody production. Calcium is an essential mineral needed for optimal bone metabolism and preventing age-associated bone loss and osteoporosis. Magnesium plays an important role in energy metabolism. Zinc is critical for most biochemical functions in the body and especially for immune defense. Iron is a component of hemoglobin that is the main carrier molecule for oxygen to the tissues of the body. These micronutrient gaps reflect a pattern of weakness in the diet that could be addressed in the development of a targeted fortified food product.

It is also important to consider the separate needs and concerns of the younger boomer (age 40-50 years old) versus the older boomer (aged 51-60 years old). For example, the priority of the young boomer group likely revolves more around their children than the older boomer group. Thus, considerations in marketing to this group might include putting a somewhat greater emphasis on the overall nutritional goodness of certain products for the entire family, as well as the provision of an appealing fortified application that will help to maintain an active healthy lifestyle for the whole family that is always “on the go.” These considerations could take the form of highly portable, individual servings of an energy beverage with taurine, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, or a wellness milk shake with herbal ingredients like echinacea to boost the immune system of everyone in the family.

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