Prevalence Of Inadequate Intake Research Articles

Consumo de macronutrientes e ingestão inadequada de micronutrientes em adultos

To estimate energy and nutrient intake and prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intake among Brazilian adults. Data from the National Dietary Survey, from the 2008-2009 Household Budget Survey, were used. Food consumption was evaluated through food record on two non-consecutive days. A total of 21,003 individuals (52.5% women), between 20-59 years old, participated in the survey. Usual nutrient intake was estimated according to the National Cancer Institute method. The Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) cut-off points were used to determine the prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intake. For manganese and potassium, the Adequate Intake (AI) was used as cut-off. Sodium intake was compared with the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL). The probability approach was used to determine the prevalence of inadequate iron intake. The data were analyzed according to the location of the household (urban or rural) and macro regions of Brazil. The mean energy intake was 2,083 kcal among men and 1,698 kcal among women. Prevalence of inadequacy equal to or greater than 70% were observed for calcium among men and magnesium, vitamin A, and sodium among both men and women. Prevalence equal to or greater than 90% were found for calcium in women and vitamins D and E in both genders. Prevalence lower than 5% were found for iron in men and for niacin in men and women. In general, prevalence of inadequate intake was higher in the rural area and in the Northeast region. Energy intake was higher among individuals who live in urban areas and in the North region. The greatest risk groups of inadequate micronutrient intake were women and those living in rural areas and in the Northeast region.

EURRECA—Estimating Vitamin D Requirements for Deriving Dietary Reference Values

The time course of the EURRECA from 2008 to 2012, overlapped considerably with the timeframe of the process undertaken by the North American Institute of Medicine (IOM) to revise dietary reference intakes for vitamin D and calcium (published November 2010). Therefore the aims of the vitamin D-related activities in EURRECA were formulated to address knowledge requirements that would complement the activities undertaken by the IOM and provide additional resources for risk assessors and risk management agencies charged with the task of setting dietary reference values for vitamin D. A total of three systematic reviews were carried out. The first, which pre-dated the IOM review process, identified and evaluated existing and novel biomarkers of vitamin D status and confirmed that circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations is a robust and reliable marker of vitamin D status. The second systematic review conducted a meta-analysis of the dose-response of serum 25(OH)D to vitamin D intake from randomized controlled trials (RCT) among adults to explore the most appropriate model of the vitamin D intake-serum 25(OH)D) relationship to estimate requirements. The third review also carried out a meta-analysis to evaluate evidence of efficacy from RCT using foods fortified with vitamin D, and found they increased circulating 25(OH)D concentrations in a dose-dependent manner but identified a need for stronger data on the efficacy of vitamin D-fortified food on deficiency prevention and potential health outcomes, including adverse effects. Finally, narrative reviews provided estimates of the prevalence of inadequate intakes of vitamin D in adults and children from international dietary surveys, as well as a compilation of research requirements for vitamin D to inform current and future assessments of vitamin D requirements. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's onilne edition of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrion for the following free supplemental files: Additional text, tables, and figures.]

UNDERNUTRITION PREVALENCE AMONG CHILDREN UNDER TWO YEARS OLD IN INDONESIA DURING ECONOMIC CRISIS AND ITS RELATED FACTORS

<p>The objective of this study was to assess undernutrition prevalence among children under-two years in Indonesia and its related factors. This ecological study was conducted to 437 districts using data extracted from nationally representative surveys, which were National Socioeconomic Survey (Susenas) and National Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) year 2007. Overall, prevalence of High Stunting (HS), High Wasting (HW), and High Underweight (HU) was 46.9%, 59.5%, and 17.2%, respectively. Median prevalence of inadequate intake of energy, protein, iron, and zinc were 33.3%, 11.1%, 81.8%, and 55.6%, respectively. Median prevalence of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) was 15.9%, while the median prevalence of diarrhea was 13.0%. Median proportion of low education of the mother was 46.9%. Prevalence of HS was associated with household income, low education proportion of mother, and proportion of food expenditure. Prevalence of HW was associated with prevalence of inadequate energy intake and proportion of food expenditure. Prevalence of HU was associated with proportion of low education of mother and proportion of food expenditure.</p>

Zinc nutrition from discovery to global health impact.

Zinc nutrition from discovery to global health impact.

Establishing desirable fortificant levels for calcium, iron and zinc in foods for infant and young child feeding: examples from three Asian countries.

We used the World Health Organization's recommended procedures to establish desirable fortificant levels for three problem micronutrients in children's diets, based on dietary data collected earlier from Filipino (n = 1374; 6-36 months), Mongolian (n = 179; 12-36 months) and Cambodian (n = 177; 12-36 months) children. Prevalence of inadequate and excessive intakes of calcium and zinc (via cut-point method) and iron (via full-probability approach) was assessed after adjusting usual intake distributions with pc-side using internal or external within-person variances from Filipino (calcium and iron) and US National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey III (zinc) national surveys. Fortificant levels were determined by repositioning usual intake distributions so that the 2.5th percentile of the targeted populations equalled the estimated average requirement (calcium, zinc) or so that full-probability prevalence was no larger than 2.5% (iron). Prevalence of inadequate intakes was ≥70% for calcium and iron, except Filipino infants (30% for Ca) and Cambodian toddlers (41% for Fe); but <1% for zinc for toddlers in Mongolia and 20% in Cambodia. Prevalence of excessive intakes was <1% for zinc, calcium and iron, except for Mongolian toddlers (11% for Zn). Desirable fortificant levels, although apparently negligible for zinc, were 530-783 mg for calcium and 10.8-22.8 mg for iron (per 100 g). Fortificant levels can be estimated from 24-h recalls, preferably by applying internal within-person variances. Fortification with calcium and iron was necessary, but seemingly not for zinc, despite a high prevalence of low serum zinc, suggesting the need for better defined cut-offs for population risk of zinc deficiency based on dietary zinc intake and/or serum zinc.

Vegetarians have higher risk for inadequate intake of iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 compared to non‐vegetarians even when considering use of dietary supplements

Iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 have long been considered nutrients of concern for vegetarians, and vitamin D and calcium are of concern for both vegetarians (V) and non‐vegetarians (NV). Little data exist on the effect of supplementation on usual intakes of these nutrients, especially in V. Dietary intake from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001 – 2008) was used to determine usual nutrient intake, with and without supplement use, for V and NV using the National Cancer Institute method. The percentage of each group having inadequate intakes (less than Estimated Average Requirements) was determined. Vegetarians were defined as those who did not report consuming meat, poultry, or fish on day one of the survey, representing a lacto‐ovo vegetarian dietary pattern. In subjects 19 years and greater (N=18,954), inadequacy for vitamin D and calcium was similar for V (n=1,138) and NV (n=17,816); over 65% of V and NV had inadequate intake of vitamin D, and over 35% had inadequate intake of calcium despite supplementation. Vegetarians had higher (p&lt;0.01) prevalence of inadequate intake than NV for iron (16% vs 7%), zinc (51% vs 10%), and vitamin B12 (28% vs 2%) from food. When considering both food and supplements, inadequacy remained higher for V for iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 (12% vs 5%, 35% vs 7%, and 18% vs 1%, respectively). Although this reflects improvement with supplementation, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 remain nutrients of concern for vegetarians.

Vitamin A intake and infection are associated with plasma retinol among pre-school children in rural Zambia

To determine the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency, infection and adequacy of vitamin A intakes among Zambian children, and the contribution of dietary vitamin A and infection to vitamin A status. A cross-sectional survey of vitamin A intakes by the 24 h recall method, vitamin A status by plasma retinol and the modified relative dose-response test, and infection by acute-phase proteins. Rural communities in Central and Eastern Provinces of Zambia. Children 2-5 years of age. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency was 56 % by plasma retinol, 48 % with infection-adjusted plasma retinol and 22 % by the modified relative dose-response test. The majority of children (61 %) had a current infection. Vitamin A intakes were relatively high (331 to 585 μg retinol activity equivalents/d in the harvest/early post-harvest and late post-harvest seasons, respectively) and the prevalence of inadequate intakes was <1 % when compared with the Estimated Average Requirement (210 and 275 μg retinol activity equivalents/d for children aged 1-3 and 4-8 years, respectively). Elevated α-1-acid glycoprotein was negatively associated with plasma retinol (P < 0·0 0 1) and vitamin A intake was positively associated with plasma retinol (P < 0·05), but only when estimated assuming a 26:1 retinol equivalence for provitamin A from green and yellow vegetables. Infection and vitamin A intakes were significant determinants of plasma retinol. We cannot conclude which indicator more accurately represents the true vitamin A status of the population. Reasons for the persistent high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in the presence of adequate vitamin A intakes are unclear, but the high rates of infection may play a role.

A 24-h recall does not provide a valid estimate of absolute nutrient intakes for rural women in southern Ethiopia

Objective To investigate the relative validity of a multiple-pass interactive 24-h recall (24-HR) for assessing nutrient intakes of a group of rural Ethiopian women. Methods Dietary intakes from a 24-HR were compared with weighed record (WR) intakes collected on the same day for 58 women of child-bearing age from three subsistence farming communities in Sidama. The impact of memory lapses, use of average recipe data, and inaccurate portion size estimates on 24-HR intakes was also assessed. Results Median daily intakes of energy and most nutrients (except fat and phytate) were lower ( P < 0.05) by the 24-HR versus the WR. Controlling for energy densities decreased the discrepancies to lower than ±6%, except for vitamin C. No significant differences between the two methods existed for the contribution of six food groups to energy intakes (percentages). Fewer than 40% of 24-HR intakes were ±10% of the WR. After classifying intakes (per day) into quartiles, Cohen’s κ values were poor (<4.0) for protein, iron, retinol, and dietary fiber and fair (≥0.40 to ≤0.75) for energy and other nutrients; all values per megajoule were mostly fair. Bland-Altman plots confirmed a negative bias for daily energy and nutrient intakes with the 24-HR versus WRs. Discrepancies were attributed mainly to inaccurate portion size estimates. Conclusion In this setting, the 24-HR cannot be substituted for the WR to assess absolute nutrient intakes for a group or the prevalence of inadequate intakes but could be used for energy-adjusted intakes. Prior training may improve the accuracy of the 24-HR.

Folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 in adolescence: serum concentrations, prevalence of inadequate intakes and sources in food

To investigate serum concentrations and the prevalence of inadequate folate intake and also vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 intakes and to identify those foods that make a major contribution to intake levels of these nutrients. This was a cross-sectional, observational study of adolescents of both sexes aged 16 to 19 years from the town of Indaiatuba, SP, Brazil. Data collection was by non-consecutive 3-day dietary record. The samples' habitual diet was estimated by removing intraindividual variability, and the prevalence rates of inadequate intakes were calculated using the estimated average requirement as cutoff points. Biochemical assays for folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 were conducted in accordance with the methods accepted in the literature. The study sample comprised 99 adolescents, the majority of whom were female (58.6%), with a mean age of 17.6 [standard deviation, (SD) 0.9]. Mean serum concentrations for folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 were 9.2 (SD 3.4) ng/mL, 18.7 (SD 5.1) nmol/L and 397.5 (SD 188.4) pg/mL, respectively; and the prevalence rates of inadequate intake for these vitamins were 15.2, 10.2 and < 1%, respectively. The foods that made a major contribution to vitamin intakes were French bread, pasta and beans for folate; white rice, chicken and beef for vitamin B6; and lean beef, whole milk and fatty beef for vitamin B12. The prevalence rates of inadequate folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 intakes were low, which is possibly the result of improved access to and availability of foods that are dietary sources of these vitamins. Beans, which are a part of the traditional Brazilian diet, remain one of the primary food items that contribute to folate intake, even after mandatory fortification with folic acid in Brazil.

Body Mass Index and Food and Nutrient Intake of Children with Type 1 Diabetes and a Carbohydrate Counting Meal Plan

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To document body mass index and food intake in relation to level of carbohydrate counting in children with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: Weight, height, glycated hemoglobin and two 24-hour dietary recalls were recorded in 70 children with type 1 diabetes (age 6 to 12 years) on intensive insulin therapy, with a meal plan based on basic (n=21) or advanced (n=49) carbohydrate counting. RESULTS: The distribution of weight status (not overweight, overweight, obese) was similar in both meal plan groups, and the overall prevalence of overweight (15.7%) and obesity (5.7%) was similar to that of the general Quebec youth population. Mean intake of fibre and potassium was lower than adequate intake, regardless of sex and age. Vitamin C was the nutrient with the highest prevalence of inadequate intake. Children using advanced carbohydrate counting drank less milk (p CONCLUSION: Meal plans based on carbohydrate counting do not appear to expose school-aged children with type 1 diabetes to a greater risk of obesity or overweight. Contrary to what is sometimes assumed, advanced carbohydrate counting did not lead to higher energy or sugar intake in this sample. Although their diet is similar to that of children without diabetes, children with type 1 diabetes should receive education about adequate food choices to increase their intake of fibre and micronutrients.

Nutrient Intakes of US Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers Meet or Exceed Dietary Reference Intakes

Objectives To assess the usual nutrient intakes of 3,273 US infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, aged 0 to 47 months, surveyed in the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) 2008; and to compare data on the usual nutrient intakes for the two waves of FITS conducted in 2002 and 2008. Design The FITS 2008 is a cross-sectional survey of a national random sample of US children from birth through age 47 months. Usual nutrient intakes derived from foods, beverages, and supplements were ascertained using a telephone-administered, multiple-pass 24-hour dietary recall. Subjects Infants aged birth to 5 months (n=382) and 6 to 11 months (n=505), toddlers aged 12 to 23 months (n=925), and preschoolers aged 24 to 47 months (n=1,461) were surveyed. Methods All primary caregivers completed one 24-hour dietary recall and a random subsample (n=701) completed a second 24-hour dietary recall. The personal computer version of the Software for Intake Distribution Estimation was used to estimate the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles, as well as the proportions below and above cutoff values defined by the Dietary Reference Intakes or the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Results Usual nutrient intakes met or exceeded energy and protein requirements with minimal risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The usual intakes of antioxidants, B vitamins, bone-related nutrients, and other micronutrients were adequate relative to the Adequate Intakes or Estimated Average Requirements, except for iron and zinc in a small subset of older infants, and vitamin E and potassium in toddlers and preschoolers. Intakes of synthetic folate, preformed vitamin A, zinc, and sodium exceeded Tolerable Upper Intake Level in a significant proportion of toddlers and preschoolers. Macronutrient distributions were within acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges, except for dietary fat, in some toddlers and preschoolers. Dietary fiber was low in the vast majority of toddlers and preschoolers, and saturated fat intakes exceeded recommendations for the majority of preschoolers. The prevalence of inadequate intakes, excessive intake, and intakes outside the acceptable macronutrient distribution range was similar in FITS 2002 and FITS 2008. Conclusions In FITS 2008, usual nutrient intakes were adequate for the majority of US infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, except for a small but important number of infants at risk for inadequate iron and zinc intakes. Diet quality should be improved in the transition from infancy to early childhood, particularly with respect to healthier fats and fiber in the diets of toddlers and preschoolers.

The Third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study: Summary and Implications

Bringing school meals in line with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines will involve more than changing nutrient standards and revising menu planning regulations. SNDA-III provides evidence that, despite the hard work of many individuals, schools, and organizations, SMI goals were not fully achieved. Strategies are needed to enhance the ability of schools to offer healthier meals.

The potential of AGE MODE, an age-dependent model, to estimate usual intakes and prevalences of inadequate intakes in a population.

Dietary intake data often stem from short-term measurements. However, for dietary assessment, generally the habitual intake distribution is of interest. Currently, habitual intake distributions are often estimated separately for subgroups of gender and age and do not take into account the variation in intake caused by age within age groups. Therefore, we developed an age-dependent dietary assessment model, which was demonstrated and tested using folate intakes from the third Dutch National Food Consumption Survey, conducted in 1997/98. The proposed model produced estimates of the mean habitual intake and intake percentiles as a function of age. The methodology has clear advantages in estimating habitual intakes in children. Also, given the large variation in intakes of several dietary components, estimated habitual intakes produced by other methods may have low precision and be less reliable if numbers are small. In our age-dependent model, all available data can be used to estimate the parameters of the habitual intake distribution, improving the precision of the estimates, and providing consistent estimates for a larger population sample as no subgroups need to be created. Although the model may still be further developed, the feature of age dependency shows clear advantages above methods currently used to estimate habitual intakes.

Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study: Do Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Contribute to Nutrient Adequacy or Excess among US Infants and Toddlers?

Objective To report the prevalence of dietary supplement use in a random sample of US infants 4 to 24 months of age, and to compare demographic characteristics, usual nutrient intakes, and food patterns of supplement users and nonusers. Design Data from 24-hour recalls collected for the 2002 Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study were analyzed. Recalls included nutrient contributions from dietary supplements as well as all foods and beverages. We estimated usual energy and nutrient intakes of supplement users and nonusers, as well as the prevalence of nutrient adequacy and excess in the two groups. We also compared demographic characteristics and food patterns of supplement users and nonusers and, for supplement users, estimated the proportion of total intake provided by foods and the proportion provided by supplements. Subjects A national random sample of 3,022 infants and toddlers age 4 to 24 months, including 430 vitamin and/or mineral supplement users and 2,592 nonusers. Statistical Analysis We compared means, percentile distributions, and proportions by age and supplement subgroup, and applied the Dietary Reference Intakes to assess usual nutrient intakes. We conducted regression analysis to determine which population characteristics predict the use of dietary supplements in this population. Results Overall, 8% of infants age 4 to 5 months received some type of dietary supplement. The prevalence of supplement use increased with age, to 19% among infants 6 to 11 months and 31% among toddlers 12 to 24 months. The vast majority of supplement users (97%) received only one type of supplement, most commonly a multivitamin and/or mineral supplement. Vitamin/mineral supplement use among infants and toddlers was associated with being a first-born child and being reported by the primary caretaker as being a picky eater. Characteristics that were independent predictors of supplement use were living in the Northeast, being male, and living in a household with fewer children. We found no significant differences between supplement users and nonusers in mean daily intakes of nutrients or nutrient density from foods alone, and few differences in food consumption. Overall, the prevalence of inadequate intakes was low (<1% to 2%). However, 65% of supplement nonusers and 9% of supplement users had vitamin E intakes less than the Estimated Average Requirement. Excessive intakes (ie, intakes above the Tolerable Upper Intake Level) were noted for both supplement users and nonusers for vitamin A (97% and 15% of toddlers) and zinc (60% and 59% of older infants and 68% and 38% of toddlers) as well as for folate among supplement users (18% of toddlers). Conclusions Generally, healthy infants and toddlers can achieve recommended levels of intake from food alone. Dietetics professionals should encourage caregivers to use foods rather than supplements as the primary source of nutrients in children’s diets. Vitamin and mineral supplements can help infants and toddlers with special nutrient needs or marginal intakes achieve adequate intakes, but care must be taken to ensure that supplements do not lead to excessive intakes. This is especially important for nutrients that are widely used as food fortificants, including vitamin A, zinc, and folate.

Mineral Intakes of Elderly Adult Supplement and Non-Supplement Users in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Calcium, iron and zinc are important in many of the body's functions. We report dietary and combined (diet + supplements) intakes for these minerals for elderly supplement and non-supplement users in the United States and the prevalence of inadequate intakes. We calculated usual dietary intakes for adults 60 y and older from third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-94; mineral intakes from supplements and calcium-containing antacids were added to usual dietary intakes. We evaluated iron and zinc intakes using the dietary reference intakes, recommended dietary allowances and estimated average requirements for elderly adults, as well as calcium intakes using the Adequate Intake and the Healthy People 2010 objective. The highest prevalences of inadequate dietary intakes was for calcium (males, 70-75%; females, 87%) and zinc (males, 35-41%; females, 36-45%). Dietary supplements improved intakes, but nearly two-thirds of elderly adults had combined intakes below the calcium objective. Non-Hispanic blacks usually had lower intakes than non-Hispanic whites and higher prevalences of intakes below the standards. Supplement users had significantly higher mean dietary intakes than non-supplement users for all three minerals for total females and non-Hispanic white females (P < 0.05 for each mineral). Many elderly adults had inadequate dietary zinc intakes, and calcium intakes fell below the Healthy People 2010 objective; dietary supplements improved intakes. Even with supplements most older adults still had intakes below the calcium objective, partly because the supplements they took usually contained low doses of calcium. Total female and non-Hispanic white female supplement users were the only groups that had higher dietary intakes than non-supplement users for all three minerals.

B-Vitamin Intakes of Elderly Supplement and Non-Supplement Users in NHANES III

The purpose of this study was to report dietary and combined (diet + supplements) intakes for thiamin, riboflavin, folate, Vitamins B-6 and B-12 for elderly supplement and non-supplement users (adults ≥ 60 years old) from NHANES III, 1988-94, and the prevalence of inadequate intakes using the 1998 Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) for thiamin, riboflavin, and Vitamins B-6 and B-12, and 77 percent of the 1980 folate RDA. The highest prevalences of inadequate dietary intakes were for Vitamin B-6 (24-46%), folate (58-82%), and Vitamin B-12 (24-34% for females only). There were significant differences across race/ethnic groups in the prevalences of inadequate dietary intakes for each vitamin (p ≤.0001 for each comparison), with non-Hispanic whites always having the lowest prevalences of inadequacy. Use of supplements reduced the risk of inadequacy, but only two-thirds or fewer elderly adults took supplements containing these B Vitamins.

Reassessing the Food Guide Pyramid: Decision-Making Framework

Food guides are dynamic nutrition education tools based on current nutrition recommendations, data on foods consumed by the target population, and nutrient content of those foods. As new nutrient/food recommendations are proposed, food guides must be reassessed to ensure that they continue to meet nutrient objectives. A framework for conducting this assessment is described, consisting of six major steps. The first two steps identify the specific source and nature of a new nutrition standard and consider data on prevalence of inadequate intakes in the population in order to establish research priorities among candidate issues.The third step assesses the ability of current food guide recommendations to meet the proposed new standard, leading to a fourth step, if needed, in which potential changes to the Food Guide are systematically explored. A fifth step considers the consistency of any potential food guide modifications with current objectives for practicality and usefulness of the guide to its target audience. The final step recognizes that some nutrient recommendations may have no feasible dietary solution, and supplements must be considered. As examples, this paper applies this framework to determining implications for food guidance of the new Dietary Reference Intakes for calcium, magnesium, and folic acid and presents options for consideration in providing individualized dietary guidance for specific age groups regarding these nutrients. Application of this assessment framework can help assure nutrition educators, researchers, and policy makers that proposed modifications to food guidance are based on a systematic, documented research process, consistent with established goals and objectives of the Food Guide and with current nutritional data and recommendations. Assessment activities can help identify research needs for improved data on nutrient composition of food and data on consumer understanding and application of food guidance principles. These activities can also help inform those who establish nutrition standards or propose fortification levels of the potential consequences of their recommendations for food-guide-based diet patterns.

Estimating the prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes in a healthy elderly population: Validity of classification and probability methodologies

The evaluation of dietary intake is an essential part of nutritional surveys and provides estimates of risks of dietary deficiency. In order to test the validity of these estimates, the prevalence of inadequate intake in a healthy elderly population (n=82) was calculated from a 7-day food record using two different methods and then compared to the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies evidenced by laboratory assessments. With the probability method, the risk for each individual to have an intake below its own requirement is calculated. In contrast, the classification method compares the intake of each subject to a cut-off point set a priori below which the intake is presumed to be inadequate. For each nutrient considered, probability analyses consistently yielded a predicted prevalence lower than the currently used classification method (<100% or <67% of dietary standards). Comparisons with biochemical and hematological values indicate that the probability approach provides a valid estimation of the prevalence of dietary risks of deficiency and should be preferred to the classification method in the evaluation of nutritional status of healthy elderly persons.