Usual Intakes of Flavonoids: Estimates from What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007–2010

Abstract

Usual intakes are estimates of the long‐term average daily consumption of foods, food components, or nutrients. Despite a vast number of studies suggesting favorable effects of dietary flavonoids on human health, usual intakes of flavonoids have never before (to our knowledge) been determined. Recent release of a comprehensive database of the flavonoid content of foods has made possible the calculation of usual flavonoid intakes. The purpose of this study was to ascertain and describe distributions of usual intakes of flavonoids (total and 6 classes) in the U.S. population. Intake data collected in What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007–2010 from 17,892 individuals were analyzed. Day 1 and day 2 flavonoid intakes were estimated using Flavonoid Values for USDA Survey Foods and Beverages 2007–2010. For anthocyanidins, flavan‐3‐ols, flavanones, flavones, and isoflavones, the two‐part National Cancer Institute approach for estimating the probability of consumption on a day and the amount consumed (which assumes a correlation between the two) was used. For total flavonoids and flavonols, it was assumed that at least a minimal amount is consumed every day by everyone (i.e., probability of consumption = 1). For individuals age ≥1 year, median usual intake of total flavonoids was 117.18 mg/day. Estimates at the 5th, 25th, 75th, and 95th percentiles were 17.01 mg, 55.37 mg, 236.09 mg, and 595.26 mg, respectively, indicating a positively skewed distribution. Due to high concentrations of flavonoids in certain foods, positively skewed distributions were also observed for all flavonoid classes. In descending order by weight, usual median intake of flavan‐3‐ols was 57.76 mg; flavonols, 14.38 mg; flavanones, 7.02 mg; anthocyanidins, 6.70 mg; flavones, 0.62 mg; and isoflavones, 0.17 mg. On an average day in 2007–2010, the likelihood of consuming the episodically consumed flavonoid classes (i.e., anthocyanidins, flavan‐3‐ols, flavanones, flavones, and isoflavones) ranged from 94% for flavan‐3‐ols to 39% for isoflavones. Tables describing usual intakes of flavonoids (total, class, and 29 individual flavonoids) by selected sociodemographic variables will become available in 2017 on the Food Surveys Research Group web site (www.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg). This novel information will add to the body of knowledge concerning flavonoid intake and thus facilitate the eventual establishment of recommendations regarding safe and adequate dietary intakes of these beneficial compounds.Support or Funding InformationARS, USDA