White Potato consumption is positively associated with potassium intake

Abstract

Intake of potassium (K), dietary fiber (DF), calcium (Ca), and vitamin D (vit D) are low enough to be of public health concern. White potatoes (WP) contribute DF and are an excellent source of potassium in the U.S. food supply, providing more potassium than most other commonly consumed vegetables. We examined nutrient intakes of children and adults using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009–2010 and nutrients contributed by WP. Appropriate survey weights were used to calculate average daily intakes of total energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folates, vitamin B12, vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, sodium, and potassium by males and females 2– 4, 5–8, 9–13, 14–18, 19–30, 31–50, 51–70, and 71+y. Intakes of K, DF, Ca and vit D were all below the RDA or Adequate Intake (AI) levels recommended by the Institute of Medicine. Multivariate regression analyses showed that, controlling for energy intake and demographic variables, WP consumption was positively associated with K intake. Controlling for the other variables in the model, each additional kilocalorie of WP consumed was associated with a 1.6 mg increase in K intake among adults 19+y and a 1.7 mg increase among children and teens 2–18y. These results suggest that children, adolescents and adults do not meet dietary recommendations for key nutrients and consumption of WP increases intake of K.This study was supported by the non‐profit organization Alliance for Potato Research and Education.