Abstract
Vitamin C is essential for human health. It is important to estimate the dietary vitamin C intake in the Chinese population to examine the effects of the nutritional transition occurred in recent decades. The present study aimed to estimate the dietary vitamin C intake in Chinese adults by using cross-sectional data from the 2015 China Nutritional Transition Cohort Study and selecting those aged 18–65 years with complete records of sociodemographic characteristics and dietary measurements (n = 11,357). Wilcoxon rank-sum test, Kruskal-Wallis analysis, Chi-squared test, and multiple logistic regression were employed to analyze the daily dietary vitamin C intake on the basis of three-day 24 h dietary recalls and food sources in relation to demographic factors, to evaluate vitamin C intake status using the estimated average requirement cut-off point, and to explore underlying influencing factors. The mean (SD (standard deviation)) and median (interquartile range) levels of the dietary vitamin C intake in adults were 78.1 (54.6) and 65.4 (61.4) mg/day, respectively. Light vegetables, dark vegetables, fruits, and tubers were the top four food sources, contributing a combined 97.3% of total daily dietary vitamin C intake in the study population. The prevalence of risk of insufficient dietary vitamin C intake was 65.1%. Both the distribution of vitamin C intake and the prevalence of risk of insufficient dietary vitamin C intake differed by several demographic factors. Educational level, residence area, geographic location, vegetable consumption, and total energy intake were independent determinants of the risk of insufficient dietary vitamin C intake. In conclusion, dietary vitamin C intake is inadequate in Chinese adult population, and an increase in vitamin C intake should be recommended especially to the population at risk for vitamin C insufficiency.
Highlights
Vitamin C, known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin naturally present in some foods, fruits and vegetables
After fully adjusting for covariates, the subjects living in towns or rural villages resulted in potentially vulnerability to the risk of insufficient vitamin C intake, while the subjects having middle school education, those living in suburban regions or southern regions, those with a high vegetable consumption frequency, and those with a moderate and high total daily energy intake were protected against the risk of insufficient dietary vitamin C intake
The independent influences of educational level, residence area, geographic location, vegetable consumption frequency, and total daily energy intake were relatively strong in the areas of lower intake of vitamin C intake distribution, which is of great concern
Summary
Vitamin C, known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin naturally present in some foods, fruits and vegetables. It is used as a food additive and is available as a dietary supplement [1]. Because humans are unable to synthesize it, vitamin C is considered to be an essential dietary micronutrient [1]. The Chinese Dietary Reference Intakes recommend an estimated average requirement (EAR) for vitamin C for adults of 85 mg/day [2]. A regular and adequate intake is required to prevent vitamin C insufficiency. Along with the rapid economic growth and urbanization observed in China over the past few decades, the Chinese population has experienced a nutritional transition characterized by dramatic
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