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ABSTRACT. Food groups have been widely used in nutrition education but relatively few studies have employed food groups to interpret dietary intake. The 24-h dietary recalls of 534 male and 476 female adolescents, aged 10-19 yr, were analyzed using a food grouping scheme. Foods were grouped with emphasis placed on fats and carbohydrates. Frequency of use and contribution of food groups to the macronutrients were determined. When nutrient intake was analyzed as a percentage of total calories, both males and females were found to have similar profiles. More than 60% of each macronutrient was contributed by combinations of three major food groups. The meat/fish/poultry, milk/cheese/yogurt, and bread/cereal products food groups contributed 81.2% of the protein; milk/cheese/yogurt, bread/cereal products and sweets accounted for 63.0% of the carbohydrate intake; and 74.3% of the dietary fat consumption was attributable to the meat/fish/poultry, milk/cheese/yogurt, and fats food groups. There were no notable differences in the food groups used by males and females. However, differences between the sexes emerged when nutrient intakes as a percentage of calories were stratified and food group usage was investigated. Food groups associated with macronutrients that are believed to affect health status have been identified.

In both nonpregnant and pregnant rats as dietary protein increased, increases in urinary calcium were observed. In nonpregnant rats, urinary calcium excretion was significantly increased as the level of dietary protein increased from 16 to 24 to 32%, but in the pregnant rats increases in urinary calcium as protein intake was raised from 24 to 32% were not observed. The present data indicated that the increase in urinary calcium was probably a result of a shift of the endogenous excretion of calcium from the feces to urine and not from intestinal absorption of dietary calcium or bone resorption of calcium. Responses of parameters indicative of intestinal absorption either were inconsistent or were not affected as protein intake increased. A high protein diet had no effect on the amount of calcium lost from the bones. Although the results were inconsistent with regard to calcium retention, a positive calcium balance was achieved by all rats fed the three different levels of dietary protein. Urinary phosphorus excretion increased with increased protein intake, but the response was modified by the physiological state. In pregnant rats, the increase from 16 to 24% dietary protein had a greater influence on urine phosphorus than the increase from 24 to 32%; this pattern was reversed in the nonpregnant rats. J. Nutr. 110:2420-2432, 1980.

Presents letters to the editor referencing articles and topics discussed in previous issues. "Profiles in Courage," which focused on financial obstacles; "Sugar Blues," which dealt with wellness; "Lloyd Ward: Victim or Villain?," by Matthew S. Scott.