Flavonoid Values for USDA Survey Foods and Beverages 2017-2018

Authors: Sebastian, Rhonda; Martin, Carrie; Goldman, Joseph; Moshfegh, Alanna

Submitted to: Worldwide Web Site: Food Surveys Research Group
Publication Type: Research Technical Update
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/19/2022
Publication Date: 8/3/2022
Citation: Sebastian, R.S., Martin, C.L., Goldman, J.D., Moshfegh, A.J. 2022. Flavonoid Values for USDA Survey Foods and Beverages 2017-2018. Worldwide Web Site: Food Surveys Research Group. Available: https://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=25102.

Interpretive Summary: Flavonoids are plant compounds with properties that may help prevent disease in humans. Studying how flavonoids relate to health requires both all-inclusive data about the flavonoid content of foods and beverages and current estimates of their intake. The Flavonoid Values for USDA Survey Foods and Beverages 2017-2018 supplies this information. It includes a database of the flavonoid content of over 7,000 food/beverage items. Also included in this release are files that provide flavonoid intake estimates based on data from What We Eat in America (WWEIA), NHANES 2017-2018. Results from the WWEIA, NHANES survey are representative of the U.S. population. Both components and the accompanying documentation may be downloaded from the website of the USDA Food Surveys Research Group at www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg. The Flavonoid Values for Survey Foods and Beverages 2017-2018 will aid policymakers in setting national dietary guidance regarding flavonoid intake and advance efforts to clarify flavonoid-disease relationships.

Technical Abstract: Comprehensive databases of the flavonoid content of foods and beverages are needed to accurately estimate dietary flavonoid intakes and assess associations between that intake and health outcomes. The Flavonoid Values for Survey Foods and Beverages 2017-2018 permits estimation of flavonoid intakes in What We Eat in America (WWEIA), the dietary intake component of NHANES. This release has two components. The first component is a database corresponding to USDA’s Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS), the database used in coding foods/beverages and portion sizes and calculating nutrients in WWEIA, NHANES. The Database of Flavonoid Values for USDA Food Codes 2017-2018 includes values, in mg per 100 gm of food, for 29 individual flavonoids, six flavonoid classes, and total flavonoids for all foods and beverages in FNDDS 2017-2018. Values in the Flavonoid Database are based on estimates in USDA’s Expanded Database for the Assessment of Dietary Intakes (FDB-EXP) Release 1.1. Flavonoid values not included in FDB-EXP were either imputed using the profile of similar food(s) with known flavonoid content or obtained from other sources. The second component of this release is a set of Flavonoid Intake Data Files that document intake, by food and by day, in WWEIA, NHANES 2017-2018. Dietary data were collected in 2 non-consecutive 24-hour recalls from 8,704 individuals. Sample weights are provided that can be used to calculate intake estimates representative of the U.S. population. Both the Flavonoid Database and the Flavonoid Intake Data Files may be downloaded from the website of the USDA Food Surveys Research Group at www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg. The Flavonoid Database is available in two formats: as a Microsoft Access® database, and as a SAS® dataset. The Flavonoid Intake Data Files are available as SAS® files. A documentation file (PDF) is included in each download package. These unique, publicly available data resources fill an important information gap and will facilitate future flavonoid-related research.