Search

Micronutrient deficiencies are still highly prevalent in Asia. Fortification of cooking aids, such as condiments (fish and soy sauces), seasonings, and bouillon cubes, may be an additional strategy to improve micronutrient intake. The current study evaluated the potential impact of iodine and iron fortification of cooking aids on micronutrient intake in Asian countries. A systematic literature search was performed to collect consumption data from different countries in Asia. Data from 18 studies in nine Asian countries were included. Scenario analyses were performed using different fortification levels based on regulations and literature. Mean intake of cooking aids ranged from 3.2–15.9 g/day for condiments and 0.4–11.7 g/day for seasonings and bouillon cubes. When replacing salt with iodized salt (30 µg of iodine/g of salt), iodine intake would increase by 13–119 µg/day for soy and fish sauces (9–80% of the Nutrient Reference Value (NRV)), and 5–83 µg/day for bouillon cubes and seasonings (4–56% of the NRV). Fortification with iron 0.5 mg/g food product for condiments or 1 mg/g food product for bouillon cubes and seasonings improved iron intake for soy and fish sauces by 1.6–8.0 mg/day (11–57% of the NRV), and for bouillon cubes and seasonings by 0.4–5.6 mg/day (3–40% of the NRV). These results indicate that, depending on the consumption pattern, fortification of cooking aids can be a suitable strategy to increase intake of micronutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study aimed to determine the potential of compliance with Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG)and increased vitamin D fortification to meet the recommended intake level of vitamin D at 10 µg/day based on minimal exposure to sunlight. Methods: The main dietary sources of vitamin D were derived from national dietary surveys in adults from United Kingdom (UK) (n = 911 ), Netherlands (NL) (n = 1,526), and Sweden (SE) (n = 974). The theoretical increase in population vitamin D intake was simulated for the following: (1) compliance with FBDG, (2) increased level of vitamin D in commonly fortified foods, and (3) combination of both. Results: Median usual vitamin D intake was 2.4 (interquartile range 1.7-3.4) µg/day in UK, 3.4 (2.7-4.2) µg/day in NL, and 5.3 (3.9-7.3) µg/day in SE. The top 3 dietary sources of vitamin D were fish, fat-based spreads (margarines), and meat. Together, these delivered up to two-thirds of total vitamin D intake on average. Compliance with FBDG for fish, margarine, and meat increased vitamin D intake to 4.6 (4.1-5.1 ) µg/day in UK, 5.2 (4.9-5.5) µg/day in NL, and 7.7 (7.0-8.5) µg/day in SE. Doubling the vitamin D levels in margarines and milk would increase vitamin D intake to 4.9 (3.6-6.5) µg/day in UK, 6.6 (4.8-8.6) µg/day in NL, and 7.2 (5.2-9.8) µg/day in SE. Combining both scenarios would increase vitamin D intake to 7.9 (6.8-9.2) µg/day in UK, 8.8 (7.4-10.4) µg/day in NL, and 8.9 (6.9-11.8) µg/day in SE. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential of dietary measures to double the current vitamin D intake in adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]