Updating USDA’s Flavonoid Database to Estimate Intakes in What We Eat In America, NHANES 2017-2018

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

Submitted to: Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/5/2023
Publication Date: 4/6/2023
Citation: Sebastian, R.S., Martin, C.L., Goldman, J.D., Moshfegh, A.J. 2023. Updating USDA’s flavonoid database to estimate intakes in What We Eat In America, NHANES 2017-2018. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2023.105323.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2023.105323

Interpretive Summary: Flavonoids are substances found in plants whose intake could promote human health and prevent disease. In order to study flavonoid-health relationships, a comprehensive database of the flavonoid content of foods is required. Moreover, that database must reflect the flavonoid content of foods as available during the time period of interest. This article describes how a flavonoid composition database was updated for use with dietary data collected in What We Eat In America (WWEIA), NHANES 2017-2018. Flavonoid intake estimates and an example application of the revised database, measuring flavonoid intake linkages with diet quality, are also presented. Missing data values were assigned by assuming zero flavonoid content, substituting with the flavonoid values of similar item(s) with known content, and obtaining flavonoid values from outside sources. The resulting database provides values for 29 individual flavonoids, 6 flavonoid classes, 1 flavonoid subclass, and total flavonoids for all foods reported by participants in WWEIA, NHANES 2017-2018. On any given day in 2017-2018, mean intake of flavonoids by individuals age 2+ years was 185 mg. Intake of total flavonoids and all flavonoid classes was positively related to diet quality. The Flavonoid Database 2017-2018, Flavonoid Intake Files, and data tables providing population-level information on flavonoid intakes in the U.S. are available free of charge on the FSRG website at www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg. These products can be used by researchers studying diet-disease relationships concerning flavonoids, by policymakers in setting national dietary guidance for flavonoids, and by nutritionists and others in educating the public about flavonoid intakes.

Technical Abstract: In 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the Database of Flavonoid Values for USDA Food Codes (Flavonoid Database) 2007-2010, which corresponds to the What We Eat In America (WWEIA), NHANES 2007-2010 dietary data. However, recent survey cycles include foods with ingredients that lack flavonoid profiles. This study describes how the Flavonoid Database was updated to correspond to the WWEIA, NHANES 2017-2018. Flavonoid intake estimates of the U.S. population and an example application of the revised database, assessing the association between flavonoid intake and diet quality, are also presented. For the 543 ingredients with missing flavonoid profiles, values were assigned by assuming zero flavonoid content (n = 297), substituting with the flavonoid content of an ingredient(s) with known values (n = 224), and applying analytic data from other sources (n = 22). Mean intake of total flavonoids among individuals 2+ years in 2017-2018 was 185 mg/d. Among adults 20+ years, intake of total flavonoids and every flavonoid class was positively associated with diet quality (p< 0.001). The Flavonoid Database 2017-2018, available at www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg, is a unique research tool that can facilitate future investigations associating flavonoid intake with health.