Fruit and vegetable intake: Vitamin-C and beta-carotene intake and plasma concentrations in 6-year-old children and their parents

AbstractObjectiveThe effect on individual rankings and total intakes of nutrients of correcting total fruit and vegetable frequencies from a long food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) using the responses to two summary questions was examined in a group of women.MethodsThe performance of a self-administered FFQ in ranking individual levels of intake and estimating absolute levels of nutrient and energy intake was compared with the performance of the questionnaire when it was corrected for fruit and vegetable intake reported using the Block summary questions.SubjectsThe study population included 123 women, aged between 18 and 54 years, who were recruited from the Family Planning Association Colposcopy Clinic in Sydney.ResultsSubstantial and significant differences (P<0.001) were found in fruit and vegetable intakes between the FFQ and the summary questions. Intake frequency by the FFQ was more than double that by the summary questions. When the FFQ was corrected for fruit and vegetable intakes using the summary questions, the intakes of beta-carotene, vitamins A and C, and dietary fibre were more than 20% lower (P<0.001) than the uncorrected results. However, this had little effect on ranking individuals. This study also examined seasonal differences in vegetable intakes and differences in nutrient intakes when either summer or winter vegetable consumption was substituted for seasonal vegetable intake in the FFQ. Although there were seasonal differences for some foods, the substitution had little effect on intake of nutrients.ConclusionThese results indicate that important differences in intakes are observed when two methods, which appear to yield the same results, are used. Further work is needed to determine which, if either, of the two methods yields intakes that can be compared quantitatively with national references for assessing the adequacy of population intakes.

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Association of plasma biomarkers of fruit and vegetable intake with incident type 2 diabetes: EPIC-InterAct case-cohort study in eight European countries

BMJ ◽

10.1136/bmj.m2194 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. m2194 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ju-Sheng Zheng ◽

Stephen J Sharp ◽

Fumiaki Imamura ◽

Rajiv Chowdhury ◽

Thomas E Gundersen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Vitamin C ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

European Countries ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Intake ◽

Plasma Vitamin ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Incident Type ◽

Incident Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract Objective To investigate the association of plasma vitamin C and carotenoids, as indicators of fruit and vegetable intake, with the risk of type 2 diabetes. Design Prospective case-cohort study. Setting Populations from eight European countries. Participants 9754 participants with incident type 2 diabetes, and a subcohort of 13 662 individuals from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort of 340 234 participants: EPIC-InterAct case-cohort study. Main outcome measure Incident type 2 diabetes. Results In a multivariable adjusted model, higher plasma vitamin C was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes (hazard ratio per standard deviation 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.76 to 0.89). A similar inverse association was shown for total carotenoids (hazard ratio per standard deviation 0.75, 0.68 to 0.82). A composite biomarker score (split into five equal groups), comprising vitamin C and individual carotenoids, was inversely associated with type 2 diabetes with hazard ratios 0.77, 0.66, 0.59, and 0.50 for groups 2-5 compared with group 1 (the lowest group). Self-reported median fruit and vegetable intake was 274 g/day, 396 g/day, and 508 g/day for participants in categories defined by groups 1, 3, and 5 of the composite biomarker score, respectively. One standard deviation difference in the composite biomarker score, equivalent to a 66 (95% confidence interval 61 to 71) g/day difference in total fruit and vegetable intake, was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.75 (0.67 to 0.83). This would be equivalent to an absolute risk reduction of 0.95 per 1000 person years of follow up if achieved across an entire population with the characteristics of the eight European countries included in this analysis. Conclusions These findings indicate an inverse association between plasma vitamin C, carotenoids, and their composite biomarker score, and incident type 2 diabetes in different European countries. These biomarkers are objective indicators of fruit and vegetable consumption, and suggest that diets rich in even modestly higher fruit and vegetable consumption could help to prevent development of type 2 diabetes.

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Combining vitamin C and carotenoid biomarkers better predicts fruit and vegetable intake than individual biomarkers in dietary intervention studies

European Journal of Nutrition ◽

10.1007/s00394-015-0953-7 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 1377-1388 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Alanna J. McGrath ◽

Lesley L. Hamill ◽

Chris R. Cardwell ◽

Claire R. Draffin ◽

Charlotte E. Neville ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin C ◽

Intervention Studies ◽

Dietary Intervention ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Intake ◽

Fruit And Vegetable

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Changes in vitamin biomarkers during a 2-year intervention trial involving increased fruit and vegetable consumption by free-living volunteers

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114509990377 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 102 (10) ◽

pp. 1477-1486 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Helen M. Macdonald ◽

Antonia C. Hardcastle ◽

Garry G. Duthie ◽

Susan J. Duthie ◽

Lorna Aucott ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin C ◽

Vitamin K ◽

Whole Blood ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Fruit And Vegetables ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Intake ◽

Plasma Vitamin ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Free Living ◽

Β Carotene

Trials in free-living populations involving increased consumption of fruit and vegetables are difficult to monitor. We evaluated biomarkers for assessing fruit and vegetable intake and compliance in a 2-year trial. Postmenopausal women were randomised to 300 g additional fruit and vegetables per d (n 66), placebo (n 70) or potassium citrate (n 140). They completed dietary checklists (3-monthly) and food diaries or FFQ (yearly). We measured whole-blood folate, plasma vitamin C and homocysteine (yearly), serum vitamin E and carotenoids (at 12 months) and urinary vitamin K metabolites (yearly). Plasma vitamin C was associated with fruit and vegetable intake at baseline (r +0·31; P < 0·01), remaining significant only for the non-fruit and vegetable group at 12 months (r +0·43; P < 0·01). For the fruit and vegetable group, vitamin C increased by 5·9 μmol/l (P = 0·07) but was not significantly associated with fruit and vegetable intake; vitamin E, β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin were higher compared with the non-fruit and vegetable group (P < 0·05); and whole-blood folate and the urinary 5C-aglycone metabolite of vitamin K were associated with vegetable intake. For all participants plasma vitamin C increased with increasing fruit and vegetable intakes, reaching a plateau of 90–95 μmol/l at intakes>500 g/d, whereas whole-blood folate, β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin continued to increase. Concentrations of vitamin C, folate and β-cryptoxanthin were lower and the 7C-aglycone metabolite of vitamin K higher, in smokers compared with non-smokers. Suitable markers for monitoring fruit and vegetable compliance include β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin. Plasma vitamin C and whole-blood folate may be suitable for monitoring intakes in populations but for monitoring compliance the former may be restricted to low intakes of fruit and vegetables and the latter to vegetable intake.

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