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The Finnish national food composition database Fineli was updated with recent analytical values for plant sterols (PS) (sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, avenasterol, brassicasterols and stanols) and cholesterol. The quality of the new analytical data was assessed. The aims of the present study were: (1) to compare the effect of old and new database values on PS and cholesterol intakes based on average per capita food consumption data; (2) to estimate the current intake and major sources of these compounds in various population groups according to the national FINDIET 1997 survey data. The intake of total PS was 305 mg/d for men and 237 mg/d for women. The respective intakes for cholesterol were 284 mg/d and 201 mg/d. Women had a higher density of PS in their diets than men, whereas the cholesterol density in the diets did not differ between genders. Cereals, margarine, vegetables and vegetable oils were the main food sources of PS. Meat, meat products and eggs were the main sources of cholesterol. A 9 % greater PS intake estimate was obtained with the new PS database compared with the old PS database, probably due to minor methodological differences between the new and old analyses. Notable changes in analytical methods suggest a lower value (-19 %) for cholesterol intake calculated from the new database compared with the old one. We conclude that researchers can have confidence in the new values for PS and cholesterol, because systematic evaluation of the new analytical values showed them to be of high quality.

The history of recommending certain food composition to the diet of the general public in Finland goes back to the 1950s. Since that time, the food circle with modifications has been the only official, and most widely used, tool for diet composition visualization for nutrition education. Official national dietary recommendations and guidelines have been launched in 1981, 1987 and the newest ones in 1998. Nordic Nutrition Recommendations have been used in Finland as a reference when national dietary guidelines have not been available or up to date. Specific quantitative food-based dietary guidelines have not been given, because dietary guidelines may be reached with a wide range of foods. Data from the 1992 Dietary Survey of Finnish Adults was used to identify differences in dietary intake and food consumption patterns between subgroups of the study population that represented the highest and lowest quartiles of fat, saturated fatty acid (SFA), fibre, and fruit and vegetable intake. The population groups having the lowest fat or SFA intakes or the highest fibre or fruit and vegetable intakes reached the nutrient recommendations of macronutrients and fibre reasonably well. Similarities in food consumption pattern associated with a nutrient profile close to the recommendations were high consumption of fruit, berries, vegetables, roots, legumes and rye. Differences, e.g. in fats used, were also found between diets that were close to the nutrient recommendations. More research is needed to determine the differences in food consumption patterns of different population groups before developing food-based dietary guidelines for these groups.