AUTHOR=Sicińska Ewa , Pietruszka Barbara , Januszko Olga , Jakubowski Sebastian , Kielak-Biskupska Kamila , Rolf Katarzyna , Kaluza Joanna 

TITLE=Intake of Vitamins and Minerals From Voluntarily Fortified Foods and/or Dietary Supplements in School Adolescents in Central-Eastern Poland

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.504015

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2020.504015

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> The key issue is whether voluntarily fortified foods and vitamin/mineral supplements available on the market serve public health needs. The study aim was to estimate nutrient intakes from voluntarily fortified foods and vitamin/mineral supplements in relation to the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) in adolescents (<italic>n</italic> = 759) aged 13–19 who attended public secondary schools in Central-Eastern Poland.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Data on the consumption of voluntarily fortified foods were collected using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire containing 58 food items. Data on the use of dietary supplements were assessed via an open-ended question. The content of nutrients was estimated using the producer's labeling declaration. The distribution of nutrient intakes according to the percentage of DRI categories (&lt;20%, 20–39.9%, 40–59.9%, 60–79.9%, 80–99.9%, 100–119%, or &gt;120%) was estimated.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Consumption of voluntarily fortified foods was a common behavior in adolescents (86.7% of participants), while vitamin/mineral supplements were used by less than one-fifth of them (17.7%). The amounts of nutrient intakes from fortified foods and/or supplements were at different levels: (I) vitamins A, D, calcium, magnesium (&gt;50% of adolescents did not exceed 20% of DRI); (II) vitamins E, B<sub>12</sub>, iron (&gt;50% of respondents consumed at least 20% of DRI); (III) niacin and pantothenic acid (&gt;50% of respondents consumed at least 40% of DRI); IV) vitamins C, B<sub>1</sub>, B<sub>2</sub>, B<sub>6</sub>, folate, biotin (&gt;50% of participants consumed at least 60% of DRI). In a subgroup of respondents who used fortified foods and supplements simultaneously (<italic>n</italic> = 126), some nutrients (i.e., vitamins C, B<sub>1</sub>, B<sub>2</sub>, B<sub>6</sub>, niacin, and biotin) were consumed in amounts ≥150% of DRI. Intake above the Tolerable Upper Intake Levels was observed for niacin, vitamin A, B<sub>6</sub> and folic acid in individual cases (up to 1.1% of respondents); a higher risk of overconsumption was associated with using vitamin/mineral supplements than voluntarily fortified foods.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Adolescents should be educated on how to reasonably use fortified foods and dietary supplements to help to overcome the potential deficiency of nutrients without causing excessive consumption.</p>