Temporal changes in micronutrient intake among United States Adults, NHANES 2003 through 2018: A cross-sectional study.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Repeated cross-sectional survey design (NHANES)
PubMed 38373695 · doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.02.007
What was done
Researchers analyzed dietary and dietary supplement (DS) data from 39,925 US adults aged 19 years or older across 2-year cycles of NHANES from 2003 through 2018. They assessed 15-year time trends in usual mean intakes of 21 micronutrients from food and beverages (FB) alone and combined with dietary supplements (FB+DS), comparing intake distributions against Dietary Reference Intakes (percentage below the Estimated Average Requirement [%<EAR] or above Adequate Intake [%>AI]).
What was found
The abstract does not provide exact point estimates, percentages, or confidence intervals, but reports trend directions. US adults underconsumed vitamins A, C, D, E, and K, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and choline over the study period, even when DS intake was included, while sodium was overconsumed. In males, %<EAR significantly increased for thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin C, iron, copper, and zinc from FB; with FB+DS, %<EAR increased for thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-12, vitamin C, copper, and zinc, and decreased for vitamins D and E. In females, %<EAR significantly increased for vitamin C and zinc from FB and FB+DS; decreased for vitamins D, E, and magnesium from FB; and decreased for vitamins A and E from FB+DS.
Why it matters
This study demonstrates that despite broad availability of dietary supplements and dietary guidelines, population-level micronutrient shortfalls and sodium overconsumption have changed very little in US adults over 15 years.
Limits
The cross-sectional design cannot track individual-level intake trajectories or determine causal mechanisms behind dietary changes. Data rely on self-reported dietary recalls, which are prone to recall bias and reporting inaccuracies. The abstract omits exact numerical percentages, effect sizes, and confidence intervals for specific nutrients.
Cited by
- supports Approximately half of the United States population does not consume sufficient dietary magnesium.