ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to estimate dietary choline intake of Koreans according to gender, age and region by using the data on per capita food intake in 1998 and 2001 and the data on choline contents of foods customarily eaten by Koreans. Sixty-four and 97 kinds of food items were used for the estimation of choline intake in 1998 and 2001, respectively. And these corresponded to approximately 90% of the total amount of food intake and energy intake. Based on these food items and choline content, per capita choline intake of Koreans was estimated to be 623.0 mg and 602.4 mg in 1998 and 2001 respectively : 687.2 mg and 659.1 mg in 1998 and 2001 for male : 560.2 mg and 551.0 mg in 1998 and 2001 for female. While the number of foods considered in estimation was higher in 2001 than 1998, choline intake was lower in 2001. The estimated per capita choline intake of male population was higher than that of female population by 108 - 127 mg, possibly due to the difference in total amount of food intake. The age group with the highest choline intake was different between 2 time points. Although adolescents of 13 - 19 years showed the highest intake (712.0 mg) in 1998, mid-aged adults of 30 - 49 years showed the highest choline intake (662.2 mg) followed by adolescents (645.7 mg) in 2001. In regional comparison, choline intake of the rural population (588.7 mg and 588.3 mg in 1998 and 2001 respectively) was lower than that of population in small to medium-size cities (625.1 mg and 603.9 mg) or in metropolitan cities (637.7 mg and 602.8 mg). This result revealed that per capita choline intake of the Korean population falls within the adequate range with some differences by age, sex and residing area.