Intake of game birds in the UK: assessment of the contribution to the dietary intake of lead by women of childbearing age and children

• Published in: Public health nutrition 2014-05, Vol.17 (5), p.1125-1129
• Main Authors: Taylor, Caroline M, Golding, Jean, Emond, Alan M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Animals; Animals, Wild; Biological and medical sciences; Birds; Child; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Cohort Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diaries; Diet; Educational attainment; Feeding Behavior; Female; Fetuses; Firearms; Food; Food Contamination; Households; Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology; Humans; Infant; Lead; Lead - administration & dosage; Male; Meat; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurotoxicity; Nutrition and Health; Nutrition research; Nutrition Surveys; Nutritional survey. Food supply and nutritional requirement; Pregnancy; United Kingdom; Wildfowl; Women; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980013000748

Concern has recently been expressed about Pb levels in Pb-shot game meat. Our aim was to determine the consumption of game birds in a representative sample population in the UK, and in children and women of childbearing age in particular. Population-based cross-sectional cohort study. Data from 4 d diet diaries from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS; 2008-2010) were extracted to analyse data on game bird consumption in the sample population, in women of childbearing age (15-45 years old) and in children ≤6 years old. Home-based study in representative areas of the UK. Participants in the NDNS (2008-2010; n 2126, age 1·5 to >65 years). Fifty-eight participants (2·7 %) reported eating game birds. The mean intake was 19·5 (sd 18·1) g/d (median 15·6, range 1·3-92·9 g/d). In women of childbearing age (15-45 years), 11/383 (2·9 %) reported eating game birds, with a mean intake of 22·4 (sd 25·8) g/d (median 15·6, range 2·0-92·9 g/d). In children aged ≤6 years old, 3/342 (0·9 %) were reported as eating game birds, with a mean intake of 6·8 (sd 9·7) g/d (median 2·4, range 1·3-23·2 g/d). The prevalence of consumption of game birds by women of childbearing age and children ≤6 years old was relatively low and intakes were small. However, any exposure to Pb in these two groups is undesirable. As are uncertainties about the ability of the diet diary method to capture the consumption of food items that are infrequently consumed, alternative methods of capturing these data should be used in future studies.