Intake and dietary sources of haem and non-haem iron among European adolescents and their association with iron status and different lifestyle and socio-economic factors

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition 2013-07, Vol.67 (7), p.765-772
• Main Authors: Vandevijvere, S, Michels, N, Verstraete, S, Ferrari, M, Leclercq, C, Cuenca-García, M, Grammatikaki, E, Manios, Y, Gottrand, F, Santamaría, J V, Kersting, M, Gonzalez-Gross, M, Moreno, L, Mouratidou, T, Stevens, K, Meirhaeghe, A, Dallongeville, J, Sjöström, M, Hallstrom, L, Kafatos, A, Widhalm, K, Molnar, D, De Henauw, S, Huybrechts, I
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/699/1702/295; 692/700/478; Adolescent; Adolescents; age; Bioavailability; Biological and medical sciences; Blood levels; body height; body mass; Body Mass Index; Body size; Body Weight; Bread; Child; Children & youth; Clinical Nutrition; Cluster Analysis; controlled study; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet; Dietary; Dietary intake; dietary sources; Economic factors; Economics; Energy Intake; Epidemiology; erythrocyte concentrate; Erythrocytes; ethnic group; Europe; European; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Food and nutrition; Food sources; fruit juice; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Girls; Haem; Health aspects; Heme; Heme - chemistry; human; human cell; Humans; Hälsovetenskap; Internal Medicine; Iron; Iron deficiency; Iron deficiency anemia; Iron in the body; iron intake; iron status; Iron, Dietary - administration & dosage; Iron, Dietary - blood; Klinisk medicin; Life Style; lifestyle modification; Lifestyles; Linear Models; Male; Meat; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Motor Activity; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrition Assessment; nutritional assessment; nutritional requirement; Nutritional Status; Näringslära; original-article; outcome assessment; Pediatrik; prediction; Public Health; questionnaire; Questionnaires; Risk factors; Rolls; school child; self report; sex difference; Social factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenage girls; Teenagers; vegetable; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.100

Background/Objectives: Adolescents are at risk of iron deficiency because of their high iron requirements. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess iron intake, its determinants and its most important food sources and; (2) to evaluate the relation of iron intake and status in European adolescents. Subjects/Methods: Two non-consecutive 24-h recalls were completed by a computerised tool. The socio-demographic and socio-economic data were collected by a self-reported questionnaire. Weight and height were measured. A distinction was made between haem and non-haem iron. Results: The total iron intake was significantly higher among boys (13.8 mg/day; n =1077) than girls (11.0 mg/day; n =1253). About 97.3% of the boys and 87.8% of the girls met the estimated average requirement, and 72.4% of the boys and 13.7% of the girls met the recommendation for bio-available iron intake. The ratio of haem/non-haem iron intake was lower for girls than boys. Meat (19.2; 76%) and bread and rolls (12.6;3.9%) contributed most to total and haem iron intake. Bread and rolls (13.8%) and meat (10.8%) contributed most to non-haem iron intake. Age, sex and body mass index were associated with iron intake. Only red blood cell concentration was significantly negatively associated with total, haem and non-haem iron intake. Conclusion: Girls had lower iron intakes and ratio of haem/non-haem iron intake than boys. The main total iron and haem iron source was meat, while the main non-haem iron source was bread and rolls. Adolescent girls may be a group at risk for iron deficiency. Consequently, special attention and strategies are needed in order to improve iron intakes during adolescence.