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Title: ALUMINUM, BORON, CALCIUM, COPPER, IRON, MAGNESIUM, MANGANESE, MOLYBDENUM, PHOSPHORUS, POTASSIUM, SODIUM, AND ZINC: CONCENTRATIONS IN COMMON WESTERN FOODS & ESTIMATED DAILY INTAKES BY INFANTS, TODDLERS, MALE & .... IN THE US

Author
item Hunt, Curtiss
item MEACHAM, SUSAN - UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/2/2001
Publication Date: 9/1/2001
Citation: Hunt, C.D., Meacham, S.L. 2001. Aluminum, boron, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc: Concentrations in common Western foods and estimated daily intakes by infants, toddlers, male and....in the US. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 101:1058-1060; Table 1 -- www.eatright.com/images/journal/0901/hunt_tables.pdf

Interpretive Summary: Boron is a natural mineral found in all foods and it is essential for the growth and reproduction of plants. There is emerging evidence that boron is essential for humans because normal amounts of boron in the diet help bones grow normally and reduce the severity of induced rheumatoid arthritis in animals. Therefore, it is important to estimate how much boron is normally consumed by all age and sex groups in the US. This goal was accomplished by preparing as needed, then testing, 234 different foods for boron and 11 other minerals. The foods chosen for testing were highly representative of all foods found in the US diet as determined by national food intake surveys conducted between 1976 and 1980. The results of the tests were combined with an estimate of how much of each food is consumed each day to estimate how much boron Americans get from their diets each day. We estimate that 6-11 month old infants eat 0.6 milligrams per day, 2-year old toddlers eat 0.5, adolescent (14-16 years old) females, 0.6, adolescent males, 0.9, adult females, 0.7, adult males, 0.9, senior (60-65 year-old) females, 0.7, and senior males, 0.9 milligrams of boron per day. Whole milk and instant regular coffee have low concentrations of boron but are typically consumed in such large quantity that they are the primary sources of boron in the diet for adolescents and adults respectively. Diets that restrict boron intake will typically restrict vitamin intake, especially vitamin C. Because the foods that supply most of the boron are also the ones that supply most of the calcium, it is important to do more research to find out whether some of the healthy effects of dietary calcium on bone may actually be attributable to boron.

Technical Abstract: The dietary intakes of selected minerals by selected age-sex groups in the US were estimated by preparing and analyzing all representative 234 foods listed in the FDA Total Diet Study Program (FDA-TDSP) (J Am Diet Assoc. 1983; 82:166) and applying FDA-TDSP-estimated intakes of the foods. Infants, toddlers, adolescent females (F) and males (M), adult F and M, and senior F and M were estimated to consume (mg/d), respectively, 1.479, 5.143, 7.521, 10.753, 6.905, 11.103, 8.463, and 11.667 aluminum; 0.545, 0.534, 0.590, 0.848, 0.698, 0.907, 0.731, and 0.863 boron; 780, 605, 684, 1074, 519, 752, 472, and 613 calcium; 0.433, 0.552, 0.717, 1.085, 0.982, 1.184, 0.897, and 1.219 copper; 11.443, 7.948, 9.456, 15.742, 8.568, 12.963, 8.154, and 11.556 iron; 118, 149, 187, 280, 192, 290, 196, and 256 magnesium; 1.00, 1.34, 1.55, 2.34, 1.89, 2.40, 1.97, and 2.26. manganese; 0.098, 0.115, 0.137, 0.216, 0.126, 0.191, 0.122, and 0.165 molybdenum; 770, 882, 1117, 1720, 1015, 1606, 924, and 1301 phosphorus; 1440, 1555, 1949, 2896, 1916, 2855, 1900, and 2446 potassium; 583, 1410, 1897, 2811, 1713, 2679, 1642, and 2282 sodium; 4.837, 7.175, 9.434, 15.431, 8.895, 14.796, 7.914, and 11.664 zinc. Whole milk (0.29 ug boron/g) and instant regular coffee (0.24 ug boron/g) have low boron concentrations but are consumed in such quantity that they are the primary sources of boron for adolescents and adults respectively. Diets that restrict boron intake will typically restrict vitamin intake, especially ascorbic acid. The significant correlation between boron and calcium concentrations in foods suggests research is needed to determine whether some of the putative effects of dietary calcium on bone maintenance may be ascribed to boron. These data are useful for establishing boron intakes of the US population.