Major Gaps in Understanding Dietary Supplement Use in Health and Disease.

Precise dietary assessment is critical for accurate exposure classification in nutritional research, typically aimed at understanding how diet relates to health. Dietary supplement (DS) use is widespread and represents a considerable source of nutrients. However, few studies have compared the best methods to measure DSs. Our literature review on the relative validity and reproducibility of DS instruments in the United States [e.g., product inventories, questionnaires, and 24-h dietary recalls (24HR)] identified five studies that examined validity (n = 5) and/or reproducibility (n = 4). No gold standard reference method exists for validating DS use; thus, each study's investigators chose the reference instrument used to measure validity. Self-administered questionnaires agreed well with 24HR and inventory methods when comparing the prevalence of commonly used DSs. The inventory method captured nutrient amounts more accurately than the other methods. Reproducibility (over 3 months to 2.4 years) of prevalence of use estimates on the questionnaires was acceptable for common DSs. Given the limited body of research on measurement error in DS assessment, only tentative conclusions on these DS instruments can be drawn at present. Further research is critical to advancing knowledge in DS assessment for research and monitoring purposes.

A narrative review of nutrient based indexes to assess diet quality and the proposed total nutrient index that reflects total dietary exposures.

A priori dietary indices provide a standardized, reproducible way to evaluate adherence to dietary recommendations across different populations. Existing nutrient-based indices were developed to reflect food/beverage intake; however, given the high prevalence of dietary supplement (DS) use and its potentially large contribution to nutrient intakes for those that use them, exposure classification without accounting for DS is incomplete. The purpose of this article is to review existing nutrient-based indices and describe the development of the Total Nutrient Index (TNI), an index developed to capture usual intakes from all sources of under-consumed micronutrients among the U.S. population. The TNI assesses U.S. adults' total nutrient intakes relative to recommended nutrient standards for eight under-consumed micronutrients identified by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: calcium, magnesium, potassium, choline, and vitamins A, C, D, E. The TNI is scored from 0 to 100 (truncated at 100). The mean TNI score of U.S. adults (≥19 y; n = 9,954) based on dietary data from NHANES 2011-2014, was 75.4; the mean score for the index ignoring DS contributions was only 69.0 (t-test; p < 0.001). The TNI extends existing measures of diet quality by including nutrient intakes from all sources and was developed for research, monitoring, and policy purposes.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.1967872.

Trends in Overall and Micronutrient-Containing Dietary Supplement Use in US Adults and Children, NHANES 2007-2018.

BACKGROUND: Dietary supplement (DS) use is widespread in the United States and contributes large amounts of micronutrients to users. Most studies have relied on data from 1 assessment method to characterize the prevalence of DS use. Combining multiple methods enhances the ability to capture nutrient exposures from DSs and examine trends over time. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to characterize DS use and examine trends in any DS as well as micronutrient-containing (MN) DS use in a nationally representative sample of the US population (≥1 y) from the 2007-2018 NHANES using a combined approach. METHODS: NHANES obtains an in-home inventory with a frequency-based dietary supplement and prescription medicine questionnaire (DSMQ), and two 24-h dietary recalls (24HRs). Trends in the prevalence of use and selected types of products used were estimated for the population and by sex, age, race/Hispanic origin, family income [poverty-to-income ratio (PIR)], and household food security (food-secure vs. food-insecure) using the DSMQ or ≥ 1 24HR. Linear trends were tested using orthogonal polynomials (significance set at P < 0.05). RESULTS: DS use increased from 50% in 2007 to 56% in 2018 (P = 0.001); use of MN products increased from 46% to 49% (P = 0.03), and single-nutrient DS (e.g., magnesium, vitamins B-12 and D) use also increased (all P < 0.001). In contrast, multivitamin-mineral use decreased (70% to 56%; P < 0.001). In adults (≥19 y), any (54% to 61%) and MN (49% to 54%) DS use increased, especially in men, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics, and low-income adults (PIR ≤130%). In children (1-18 y), any DS use remained stable (∼38%), as did MN use, except for food-insecure children, whose use increased from 24% to 31% over the decade (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of any and MN DS use increased over time in the United States. This may be partially attributed to increased use of single-nutrient products. Population subgroups differed in their DS use.

Iodine in Foods and Dietary Supplements: A Collaborative Database Developed by NIH, FDA and USDA.

Data on the iodine content of foods and dietary supplements are needed to develop general population intake estimates and identify major contributors to intake. Samples of seafood, dairy products, eggs, baked products, salts, tap water, other foods and beverages, and dietary supplements were collected according to established sampling plans of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Samples were assayed for iodine content using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with rigorous quality control measures. The food data were released through a collaboration of USDA, FDA, and the Office of Dietary Supplements-National Institutes of Health (ODS-NIH) as the USDA, FDA, and ODS-NIH Database for the Iodine Content of Common Foods at www.ars.usda.gov/mafcl. Iodine data for dietary supplements are available in the ODS-USDA Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database and the ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database. Data from the iodine databases linked to national dietary survey data can provide needed information to monitor iodine status and develop dietary guidance for the general U.S. population and vulnerable subgroups. This iodine information is critical for dietary guidance development, especially for those at risk for iodine deficiency (i.e., women of reproductive age and young children).

Malnutrition-related conditions and interventions in US state/territorial Older Americans Act aging plans.

BACKGROUND: Factors that decrease independence and increase morbidity must be reduced to improve the nutrition, health, and other challenges confronting older adults. In the United States (US), the Older Americans Act (OAA) requires each state/territory develop multi-year aging plans for spending federal funds that foster healthy aging (including support of congregate/home delivered meals programs) and separately requires grant applications for nutrition service programs supporting older Native Americans. Malnutrition (particularly protein-energy undernutrition), sarcopenia, frailty, and obesity can all result in disability but are potentially changeable. The study goal was to collect baseline information on mentions of these malnutrition-related conditions and interventions that address them in US state/territorial OAA program multi-year aging plans. METHODS: OAA program multi-year aging plans available on the ADvancing States website in February 2021 (n = 52) were searched for number of mentions of defined nutrition terms including malnutrition, sarcopenia, frailty, obesity, and whether terms were included in plans' goals/objectives, strategies/actions, or solely in the narrative. RESULTS: Malnutrition, sarcopenia, frailty, and obesity were mentioned infrequently in US state/territorial OAA program multi-year aging plans. 33% of plans mentioned malnutrition but only 8% as goals/objectives and 15% as strategies/actions. 62% mentioned frailty; 6% (goals/objectives), 15% (strategies/actions). None mentioned sarcopenia whereas in contrast, 21% mentioned obesity; 2% (goals/objectives), 2% (strategies/actions). Nutrition intervention mentions were nearly nil. There were no significant differences in frequency of term mentions by US region or by states with higher percentages of older adults or obese adults. CONCLUSIONS: Clearly specifying definitions of malnutrition-related conditions and incorporating them into measurable goals/objectives, defined strategies/actions, and outcomes may help improve future state/territorial OAA program multi-year aging plans to better support healthy aging.

Do Multivitamin/Mineral Dietary Supplements for Young Children Fill Critical Nutrient Gaps?

BACKGROUND: Nearly a third of young US children take multivitamin/mineral (MVM) dietary supplements, yet it is unclear how formulations compare with requirements. OBJECTIVE: Describe the number and amounts of micronutrients contained in MVMs for young children and compare suggested amounts on product labels to micronutrient requirements. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: All 288 MVMs on the market in the United States in the National Institutes of Health's Dietary Supplement Label Database in 2018 labeled for children 1 to <4 years old. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of MVM products and amounts per day of micronutrients in each product suggested on labels compared with requirements represented by age-appropriate Daily Values (DV). Micronutrients of public health concern identified by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) 2015-2020 (DGA 2015) and DGA 2020-2025 (DGA 2020) or those of concern for exceeding the upper tolerable intake levels. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Number of products and percent DV per day provided by each micronutrient in each product. RESULTS: The 288 MVMs contained a mean of 10.1 ± 2.27 vitamins and 4.59 ± 2.27 minerals. The most common were, in rank order, vitamins C, A, D, E, B6, B12; zinc, biotin, pantothenic acid, iodine, and folic acid. For micronutrients denoted by the DGA 2015 and DGA 2020 of public health concern, 56% of the 281 products containing vitamin D, 4% of the 144 with calcium, and none of the 60 containing potassium provided at least half of the DV. The upper tolerable intake level was exceeded by 49% of 197 products with folic acid, 17% of 283 with vitamin A, and 14% of 264 with zinc. Most MVMs contained many of 16 other vitamins and minerals identified in national surveys as already abundant in children's diets. CONCLUSIONS: A reexamination of the amounts and types of micronutrients in MVMs might consider formulations that better fill critical gaps in intakes and avoid excess.

The Total Nutrient Index is a Useful Measure for Assessing Total Micronutrient Exposures Among US Adults.

BACKGROUND: Most dietary indices reflect foods and beverages and do not include exposures from dietary supplements (DS) that provide substantial amounts of micronutrients. A nutrient-based approach that captures total intake inclusive of DS can strengthen exposure assessment. OBJECTIVES: We examined the construct and criterion validity of the Total Nutrient Index (TNI) among US adults (≥19 years; nonpregnant or lactating). METHODS: The TNI includes 8 underconsumed micronutrients identified by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: calcium; magnesium; potassium; choline; and vitamins A, C, D, and E. The TNI is expressed as a percentage of the RDA or Adequate Intake to compute micronutrient component scores; the mean of the component scores yields the TNI score, ranging from 0-100. Data from exemplary menus and the 2003-2006 (≥19 years; n = 8861) and 2011-2014 NHANES (≥19 years; n = 9954) were employed. Exemplary menus were used to determine whether the TNI yielded high scores from dietary sources (women, 31-50 years; men ≥ 70 years). TNI scores were correlated with Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015 overall and component scores for dairy, fruits, and vegetables; TNI component scores for vitamins A, C, D, and E were correlated with respective biomarker data. TNI scores were compared between groups with known differences in nutrient intake based on the literature. RESULTS: The TNI yielded high scores on exemplary menus (84.8-93.3/100) and was moderately correlated (r = 0.48) with the HEI-2015. Mean TNI scores were significantly different for DS users (83.5) compared with nonusers (67.1); nonsmokers (76.8) compared with smokers (70.3); and those living with food security (76.6) compared with food insecurity (69.1). Correlations of TNI vitamin component scores with available biomarkers ranged from 0.12 (α-tocopherol) to 0.36 (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D), and were significantly higher than correlations obtained from the diet alone. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of validity supports that the TNI is a useful construct to assess total micronutrient exposures of underconsumed micronutrients among US adults.

Dietary Protein Intake Is Positively Associated with Appendicular Lean Mass and Handgrip Strength among Middle-Aged US Adults.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia, a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, can begin in the 4th decade of life. Protein intake predicts skeletal muscle mass and strength among older adults, but knowledge of similar associations among middle-aged adults is lacking. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess associations between protein intake and skeletal muscle mass, characterized by appendicular lean mass adjusted for BMI [in kg/m2 (ALMBMI)], and muscle strength, represented by handgrip strength adjusted for BMI (GSMAXBMI), among middle-aged adults. METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 1209 men and 1208 women aged 40-59 y in the 2011-2014 NHANES. Protein intake per kilogram actual body weight (BW), assessed by two 24-h recalls, was examined as continuous and categorical parameters [low (

Supplemental Vitamin D Increased Serum Total 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in the US Adult Population During 2007-2014.

BACKGROUND: Data from the 2007-2010 NHANES suggested that vitamin D supplements contributed to increased serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in the US population. OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether 25(OH)D continued to increase during NHANES 2011-2014 and whether associations of 25(OH)D with preselected covariates differed across time periods. METHODS: For this study, 25(OH)D was measured in adults (≥20 y) using LC-MS/MS. Descriptive and regression analyses were stratified by survey period to investigate the effects of age, race-Hispanic origin, sex, season, BMI, dietary vitamin D, and vitamin D-containing supplements. A multiple linear regression model was used to assess 25(OH)D changes between two 4-y survey periods, namely 2007-2010 and 2011-2014. RESULTS: We observed several significant concomitant increases between 2007-2010 and 2011-2014: unadjusted mean 25(OH)D increased by 2.7 nmol/L (95% CI: 0, 5.4 nmol/L; P = 0.048), the percentage of persons taking any vitamin D-containing supplements increased 2.9% (95% CI: 0.03, 5.5%; P = 0.0314), and the percentage of persons taking high-dose (≥1000 IU/d) vitamin D-containing supplements increased 8.6% (95% CI: 6.9, 9.9%; P < 0.0001). With covariate adjustment, the increase in 25(OH)D from 2007-2010 to 2011-2014 was no longer statistically significant [1.4 nmol/L (95% CI: -3.0, 0.23 nmol/L; P = 0.09)]. After adjustments, several large differences in 25(OH)D remained, namely non-Hispanic blacks had 25(OH)D 22 nmol/L lower than that of non-Hispanic whites, and users of vitamin D-containing supplements ≥1000 IU/d had 25(OH)D 31 nmol/L higher than that of nonusers. CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for vitamin D supplement dose, the overall adjusted increase in 25(OH)D was no longer statistically significant, suggesting that changes in US adults' 25(OH)D concentrations between NHANES periods 2007-2010 and 2011-2014 may primarily be associated with changes in vitamin D supplementation.

Association of food insecurity with dietary intakes and nutritional biomarkers among US children, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2016.

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity is associated with poorer nutrient intakes from food sources and lower dietary supplement use. However, its association with total usual nutrient intakes, inclusive of dietary supplements, and biomarkers of nutritional status among US children remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess total usual nutrient intakes, Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores, and nutritional biomarkers by food security status, sex, and age among US children. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from 9147 children aged 1-18 y from the 2011-2016 NHANES were analyzed. Usual energy and total nutrient intakes and HEI-2015 scores were estimated using the National Cancer Institute method from 24-h dietary recalls. RESULTS: Overall diet quality was poor, and intakes of sodium, added sugars, and saturated fat were higher than recommended limits, regardless of food security status. Food-insecure girls and boys were at higher risk of inadequate intakes for vitamin D and magnesium, and girls also had higher risk for inadequate calcium intakes compared with their food-secure counterparts, when total intakes were examined. Choline intakes of food-insecure children were less likely to meet the adequate intake than those of their food-secure peers. No differences by food security status were noted for folate, vitamin C, iron, zinc, potassium, and sodium intakes. Food-insecure adolescent girls aged 14-18 y were at higher risk of micronutrient inadequacies than any other subgroup, with 92.8% (SE: 3.6%) at risk of inadequate intakes for vitamin D. No differences in biomarkers for vitamin D, folate, iron, and zinc were observed by food security status. The prevalence of iron deficiency was 12.7% in food-secure and 12.0% in food-insecure adolescent girls. CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity was associated with compromised intake of some micronutrients, especially among adolescent girls. These results highlight a need for targeted interventions to improve children's overall diet quality, including the reduction of specific nutrient inadequacies, especially among food-insecure children. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03400436.

Opportunities for Adding Undernutrition and Frailty Screening Measures in US National Surveys.

Both undernutrition and frailty adversely affect the health and functional outcomes of the older adult population. Timely and accurate national data are necessary to assess those at risk of these debilitating but often preventable conditions, to correct them and support healthy aging. The objective was to identify relevant measures in undernutrition and frailty screening tools and determine if these measures are collected in recent protocols for US national surveys sampling older adults and which measures could be added to be able to better assess risk of undernutrition and frailty. Commonly used undernutrition and frailty screening tools were evaluated to identify measures that were unique or common to both. US national surveys were examined to determine whether they included older adults in their survey sample, collected health measures from participants, in what form, and whether they were functional indexes or survey questions. A comparative analysis of survey protocols was performed to determine which surveys collected data related to the measures of undernutrition and frailty. Of the 8 national surveys, only 3 provided ≥1 physical measurement (i.e., height/weight, grip strength, balance). Most surveys included self-reported data on height/weight, physical functioning/mobility, disability, and psychological components. Whereas 6 included questions on food security/food program participation, only 1 collected data on dietary intake. Currently national surveys include only limited health measures that can be used to identify undernutrition and frailty risk in older adults. Adding a few simple screening measures already included in popular screening tools, such as grip strength, unintentional weight loss, and loss of appetite, to national surveys which monitor older Americans would facilitate estimation of the prevalence of undernutrition and frailty risk, better estimate those at risk, provide an opportunity to set national goals to reduce their risk, and help implement strategies for improved health outcomes.

Nonfood Prebiotic, Probiotic, and Synbiotic Use Has Increased in US Adults and Children From 1999 to 2018.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Public interest in pre-, pro-, and synbiotic products is increasing because of interactions between gut microbiota and human health. Our aim was to describe nonfood (from dietary supplements or medication) pre-, pro-, and synbiotic use by US adults and children and reported reasons. METHODS: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we text-mined dietary supplement and prescription medication labels and ingredients to identify pre-, pro-, and synbiotic products used in the past 30 days. We describe trends in use from 1999 to 2018 (n = 101,199) and prevalence in 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 (n = 19,215) by age groups, sex, ethnicity/race, education, income, self-reported diet and health quality, and prescription gastrointestinal medication use stratified by children (<19 years) and adults (19+ years). RESULTS: Nonfood pre-, pro-, and synbiotic use increased up to 3-fold in recent cycles. Prevalence of use for all ages for prebiotics was 2.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0-2.9), for probiotics was 4.5% (95% CI, 3.5-5.6), and for synbiotics was 1.1% (95% CI, 0.8-1.5). Use was highest among older adults (8.8% [95% CI, 5.4-13.3] among those aged 60-69 years for probiotics), non-Hispanic Whites, those with higher educational attainment and income, those with more favorable self-reported diet or health quality, and those with concurrent prescription gastrointestinal medication use. The top reasons for use were for digestive health and to promote/maintain general health. Less than 30% reported using these products based on a health care provider's recommendation. CONCLUSIONS: One in 20 US adults or children use nonfood pre-, pro-, or synbiotic products, and use has sharply increased in recent years. Most individuals voluntarily take these products for general digestive or overall health reasons.

Dietary Supplement Use Among Adults: United States, 2017-2018.

Dietary supplement use is common in the United States (1). The additional nutrients provided by dietary supplements can help meet recommended nutrient targets but can also potentially lead to excess intakes (2,3). This report describes recent prevalence estimates for dietary supplement use among U.S. adults, the distribution of the number of dietary supplements used, and the most common types of dietary supplements used. Trends in dietary supplement use from 2007-2008 through 2017-2018 are also reported.

Dietary Supplement Use in Children and Adolescents Aged ≤19 Years - United States, 2017-2018.

Dietary supplement use is common among children and adolescents. During 2013-2014, approximately one third of children and adolescents (persons aged ≤19 years) in the United States were reported to use a dietary supplement in the past 30 days, and use varied by demographic characteristics (1,2). Dietary supplements can contribute substantially to overall nutrient intake, having the potential to both mitigate nutrient shortfalls as well as to lead to nutrient intake above recommended upper limits (3). However, because nutritional needs should generally be met through food consumption according to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, only a few dietary supplements are specifically recommended for use among children and adolescents and only under particular conditions (4). The most recently released data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during 2017-2018 were used to estimate the prevalence of use among U.S. children and adolescents of any dietary supplement, two or more dietary supplements, and specific dietary supplement product types. Trends were calculated for dietary supplement use from 2009-2010 to 2017-2018. During 2017-2018, 34.0% of children and adolescents used any dietary supplement in the past 30 days, with no significant change since 2009-2010. Use of two or more dietary supplements increased from 4.3% during 2009-2010 to 7.1% during 2017-2018. Multivitamin-mineral products were used by 23.8% of children and adolescents, making these the products most commonly used. Because dietary supplement use is common, surveillance of dietary supplement use, combined with nutrient intake from diet, will remain an important component of monitoring nutritional intake in children and adolescents to inform clinical practice and dietary recommendations.

High folic acid or folate combined with low vitamin B-12 status: potential but inconsistent association with cognitive function in a nationally representative cross-sectional sample of US older adults participating in the NHANES.

BACKGROUND: Potential safety concerns relative to impaired cognitive function may exist when high folic acid exposures are combined with low vitamin B-12 status. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the relation of the coexistence of high folate and low vitamin B-12 status with cognitive function, utilizing various definitions of "high" folate status. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from older adults (≥60 y; n = 2420) from the 2011-2014 NHANES were analyzed. High folate status was defined as unmetabolized serum folic acid (UMFA) > 1 nmol/L or serum total folate > 74.1 nmol/L, and low vitamin B-12 status as methylmalonic acid > 271 nmol/L or serum vitamin B-12 < 150 pmol/L. Logistic regression models estimated ORs of scoring low on 1 of 4 cognitive tests: the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Delayed Recall (CERAD-DR) and Word Learning tests, and the Animal Fluency test (AF). RESULTS: A significant interaction was observed relative to scoring low on the DSST (<34; UMFA; P-interaction = 0.0071) and AF (serum folate; P-interaction = 0.0078) for low vitamin B-12 and high folate status. Among those with low vitamin B-12, high UMFA or high serum total folate was associated with higher risk of scoring low on the DSST (OR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.05, 4.47) and the AF (OR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.08, 3.45). Among those with "normal" vitamin B-12, higher UMFA or serum total folate was protective on the CERAD-DR. In noninteraction models, when high folate and normal vitamin B-12 status was the reference group, low vitamin B-12 combined with high UMFA was associated with greater risk based on the DSST (<34, OR: 2.87; 95% CI: 1.85, 4.45; <40, OR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.31, 3.75) and AF (OR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.30, 2.97); but low vitamin B-12 and lower UMFA (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.16, 2.47) was also significantly associated for DSST < 40 risk. CONCLUSIONS: Low vitamin B-12 was associated with cognitive impairment both independently and in an interactive manner with high folate for certain cognitive performance tests among older adults.

Older adults with obesity have higher risks of some micronutrient inadequacies and lower overall dietary quality compared to peers with a healthy weight, National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), 2011-2014.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate total usual intakes and biomarkers of micronutrients, overall dietary quality and related health characteristics of US older adults who were overweight or obese compared with a healthy weight. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Two 24-h dietary recalls, nutritional biomarkers and objective and subjective health characteristic data were analysed from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2014. We used the National Cancer Institute method to estimate distributions of total usual intakes from foods and dietary supplements for eleven micronutrients of potential concern and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 score. PARTICIPANTS: Older adults aged ≥60 years (n 2969) were categorised by sex and body weight status, using standard BMI categories. Underweight individuals (n 47) were excluded due to small sample size. RESULTS: A greater percentage of obese older adults compared with their healthy-weight counterparts was at risk of inadequate Mg (both sexes), Ca, vitamin B6 and vitamin D (women only) intakes. The proportion of those with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D < 40 nmol/l was higher in obese (12 %) than in healthy-weight older women (6 %). Mean overall HEI-2015 scores were 8·6 (men) and 7·1 (women) points lower in obese than in healthy-weight older adults. In addition, compared with healthy-weight counterparts, obese older adults were more likely to self-report fair/poor health, use ≥ 5 medications and have limitations in activities of daily living and cardio-metabolic risk factors; and obese older women were more likely to be food-insecure and have depression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that obesity may coexist with micronutrient inadequacy in older adults, especially among women.

Dietary Supplement Use and Its Micronutrient Contribution During Pregnancy and Lactation in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of use and the micronutrient contribution of dietary supplements among pregnant, lactating, and nonpregnant and nonlactating women in the United States. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from 1,314 pregnant, 297 lactating, and 8,096 nonpregnant and nonlactating women (aged 20-44 years) in the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were combined to produce statistically reliable, nationally representative estimates. Information about dietary supplements used in the past 30 days was collected through an interviewer-administered questionnaire and in-home inventory. The prevalence of nutrient-specific supplement use, mean daily nutrient intakes from supplements among users, and motivations for supplement use were assessed. Differences by age, income, and trimester within pregnant women were also tested. RESULTS: Seventy-seven percent of pregnant women and 70% of lactating women used one or more dietary supplements, whereas 45% of nonpregnant and nonlactating women used supplements. In particular, 64% of pregnant and 54% of lactating women used prenatal supplements. Mean intakes of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, vitamins B6, B12, and C, iron, and zinc from supplements alone were at or above their respective recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) among pregnant and lactating supplement users. About half of pregnant and 40% of lactating women took supplements based on the recommendation of a health care provider. Among pregnant women, those in their first trimester, aged 20-34 years, or in a lower-income family were less likely to use supplements compared with their counterparts. CONCLUSION: The majority of pregnant and lactating women used dietary supplements, which contributed many nutrients in doses above the RDAs. Although inadequate Intakes of folate and iron are of concern among pregnant women who are not using supplements, supplement users often consumed high doses, suggesting a potential need of health care providers to discuss dietary supplement use and the recommended doses of nutrients during pregnancy and lactation.

Comparison of 4 Methods to Assess the Prevalence of Use and Estimates of Nutrient Intakes from Dietary Supplements among US Adults.

BACKGROUND: Accurate and reliable methods to assess prevalence of use of and nutrient intakes from dietary supplements (DSs) are critical for research, clinical practice, and public health monitoring. NHANES has been the primary source of DS usage patterns using an in-home inventory with a frequency-based DS and Prescription Medicine Questionnaire (DSMQ), but little is known regarding DS information obtained from 24-h dietary recalls (24HRs). METHODS: The objectives of this analysis were to compare results from 4 different methods for measuring DS use constructed from two data collection instruments (i.e., DSMQ and 24HR) and to determine the most comprehensive method for measuring the prevalence of use and estimating nutrient intakes from DS for selected nutrients. NHANES 2011-2014 data from US adults (aged ≥19 y; n = 11,451) were used to examine the 4 combinations of methods constructed for measuring the prevalence of use of and amount of selected nutrients from DSs (i.e., riboflavin, vitamin D, folate, magnesium, calcium): 1) DSMQ, 2) 24HR day 1, 3) two 24HRs (i.e., mean), and 4) DSMQ or at least one 24HR. RESULTS: Half of US adults reported DS use on the DSMQ (52%) and on two 24HRs (mean of 49%), as compared with a lower prevalence of DS use when using a single 24HR (43%) and a higher (57%) prevalence when combining the DSMQ with at least one 24HR. Mean nutrient intake estimates were highest using 24HR day 1. Mean supplemental calcium from the DSMQ or at least one 24HR was 372 mg/d, but 464 mg/d on the 24HR only. For vitamin D, the estimated intakes per consumption day were higher on the DSMQ (46 µg) and the DSMQ or at least one 24HR (44 µg) than those on the 24HR day 1 (32 µg) or the mean 24HR (31 µg). Fewer products were also classed as a default or reasonable match on the DSMQ than on the 24HR. CONCLUSIONS: A higher prevalence of use of DSs is obtained using frequency-based methods, whereas higher amounts of nutrients are reported from a 24HR. The home inventory results in greater accuracy for products reported. Collectively, these findings suggest that combining the DSMQ with at least one 24HR (i.e., DSMQ or at least one 24HR) is the most comprehensive method for assessing the prevalence of and estimating usual intake from DSs in US adults.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03400436.