Abstract
Little is known about the macronutrient intake status of adult Chinese people. This cross-sectional study assessed the macronutrient intake status of adults (aged ≥20 years) by comparing their intake level of macronutrients against the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). It further explored the associations between macronutrient intake status and age groups, genders, education levels, smoking status, drinking frequency, social classes, knowledge of Chinese Dietary Guidelines 2016 (CDGs), healthy diet priorities, and areas (urban and rural) within two regions (northern and southern). The analysis includes the dietary intake data of 7860 Chinese adults, with complete data entries in the China Health and Nutrition 2011 survey. Dietary data were obtained through the 24 h recall method. More than half had carbohydrate intake below the recommended level of intake, and more than half had fat intake above the recommended level of intake. There were significant associations between three macronutrient intakes and education levels, social classes, healthy diet priorities, areas, and regions. Disparities in macronutrient consumptions revealed geographical and socioeconomic variations in dietary patterns, as well as risks for many different noncommunicable diseases. Public health and nutrition interventions should take notice of regional differences in dietary intake and place more emphasis on vulnerable populations including women, rural residents, and people with lower education level.
Highlights
The China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) is an ongoing survey that covers myriad demographic, socioeconomic, and public health risk factors at both individual and household levels across fifteen different provinces and autonomous cities [17]. It is an international project coordinated by the Carolina Population Center at the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), the National Institute for Nutrition and Health (NINH)
There were 7860 Chinese adults aged ≥20 years recruited in the 2011 CHNS who had complete and valid dietary data
Using the dietary data from the China Health and Nutrition 2011 Survey, we evaluated macronutrient intake status among Chinese adults (≥20 years) in association with different sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors
Summary
Evidence shows that diets low in saturated fat can improve cardiovascular health compared to the ones high in saturated fat [7]. One study has suggested that compared to the 55–60% carbohydrate diet, a lower-carbohydrate diet has positive effects on weight control and reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes [5]. The Mediterranean diet with an MUFA: SFA > 1.6 ratio of dietary fat intake can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes [7,8]. Many studies have shown that diets consisting of high amounts of low-quality carbohydrates could be associated with high glycemic index and mortality caused by all kinds of NCDs [9,10]. Diets high in carbohydrate proportion have been replaced by the ones with higher fat proportions around the globe [11]
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