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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Food Surveys Research Group » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #312092
Title: New database facilitates characterization of flavonoid intake, sources, and positive associations with diet quality among U.S. adults

Author
item Sebastian, Rhonda
item Enns, Cecilia
item Goldman, Joseph
item Martin, Carrie
item Steinfeldt, Lois
item Moshfegh, Alanna

Submitted to: Journal of Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/7/2015
Publication Date: 5/6/2015
Citation: Sebastian, R.S., Enns, C.W., Goldman, J.D., Martin, C.L., Steinfeldt, L.C., Moshfegh, A.J. 2015. A new database facilitates characterization of flavonoid intake, sources, and positive associations with diet quality among U.S. adults. Journal of Nutrition. 145(6):1239-48. DOI: 10.3945/jn.115.213025.

Interpretive Summary: Flavonoids, a large class of bioactive compounds that occur naturally in plants, may play important roles in promoting health and preventing disease. Attempts to examine flavonoid intakes in the U.S. population have been hindered because available databases of the flavonoid content of foods have not covered all foods and beverages. We created a special database, the Provisional Flavonoid Addendum to the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 4.1, that allows calculation of nationally representative estimates of flavonoid intake using dietary intake data on all foods and beverages from What We Eat in America (WWEIA), NHANES 2007-2008. We then used that database to calculate intakes of total flavonoids and six flavonoid classes and compare intakes of selected sociodemographic groups, describe the top food and beverage groups that contribute flavonoids in the U.S. diet, and identify associations between flavonoid intake and dietary quality measured by Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score in a representative sample of American adults. One day of 24-hour dietary recall data from adults age >=20 years (n=5,420) who participated in What We Eat in America (WWEIA), NHANES 2007-2008 was analyzed. Mean intake of total flavonoids by U.S. adults was 251.1 mg, with flavan-3-ols comprising the majority of intake. Differences in intakes of total flavonoids, flavan-3-ols, and flavonols that were seen between racial/ethnic groups were attributable to differences in tea intake. Tea was the primary source (80%) of total flavonoids intake. However, different foods and beverages contributed important amounts of various flavonoid classes. Dietary quality (HEI score) was positively associated with intake of total flavonoids and all flavonoid classes examined. A new USDA database allows comprehensive estimation of flavonoid intake by the U.S. population and so promotes advancement of research into connections between flavonoid intake and health. This information will be of benefit to epidemiologists who study diet-disease relationships, as well as to policymakers who set national guidance on flavonoids. Ultimately, the information in this article has potential to be of benefit to the U.S. population as a whole, since it provides researchers with appropriate baseline estimates to use in examining relationships between flavonoids and various indicators of health and disease.

Technical Abstract: Epidemiologic studies show inverse associations between flavonoid intake and chronic disease risk. However, a lack of comprehensive databases of the flavonoid content of foods has hindered efforts to fully characterize population intake. Using a newly released database of flavonoid values, we sought to describe intake and sources of total flavonoids and six flavonoid classes and identify associations between flavonoid intake and dietary quality measured by Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score in a representative sample of American adults. One day of 24-hour dietary recall data from adults age >=20 years (n=5,420) who participated in What We Eat in America (WWEIA), NHANES 2007-2008 was analyzed. Flavonoid intakes were calculated using a provisional flavonoid addendum to the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 4.1. Flavonoid intake distributions were highly skewed, necessitating a Box-Cox transformation before conducting statistical comparisons between groups. To determine associations between flavonoid intake and dietary quality, individuals were split into four categories of ascending flavonoid intake, and linear trends in mean HEI score by flavonoid intake category were assessed using orthogonal polynomial contrasts. All analyses were weighted to be nationally representative. Mean intake of total flavonoids by U.S. adults was 251.1 mg, with flavan-3-ols comprising the majority of intake. Non-Hispanic whites had higher intakes of total flavonoids, flavan-3-ols, and flavonols than did non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics (p<0.001). Tea was the primary source (80%) of total flavonoids intake. Dietary quality (HEI score) was positively associated with intake of total flavonoids and all flavonoid classes examined. A new USDA database allows comprehensive estimation of flavonoid intake by the U.S. population and so promotes advancement of research into connections between flavonoid intake and health. Development of dietary guidance regarding flavonoids should take into account the favorable associations between flavonoid intake and dietary quality found in this study.