Micronutrient Intake and the Contribution of Dietary Supplements in Hispanic Infants

ABSTRACT

To calculate micronutrient adequacy among infants and toddlers and to determine the contribution of dietary supplements to this adequacy, micronutrient intake was assessed using two nonconsecutive 24-hour recalls in a sample of 296 infants aged 0–24 months. Micronutrient intake was calculated from foods and beverages and from supplements and compared between nonusers and users of supplements. Percentages of children below the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) and above the tolerable upper limit intake (UL) were also compared between groups. A total of 241 participants had complete data. The prevalence of dietary supplement use among the sample was 15%. Mean intake of all micronutrients from foods and beverages was similar between nonusers and users of supplements (p > .05) but significantly higher for the following vitamins when supplements were included: D, E, B1, B2, B3, and B6 (p < .05). From foods only, the nutrients with highest percentage of children below the DRI were vitamins D and E and potassium. When supplements were included, this percentage significantly decreased among users compared to nonusers (p < .05) for vitamins D and E. From foods, the UL was exceeded for magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B3. These were similar when supplements were added. Supplements significantly increased the intake of some vitamins. Vitamins D and E had the highest percentage of children below the DRI, which was partly corrected with the use of supplements. The UL was exceeded for magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B3 in many children. It is important to understand these patterns as they may be indicative of future nutritional deficiencies and excesses.

KEYWORDS:

• adequacy
• dietary supplements
• Hispanic
• infants
• micronutrient intake

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Puerto Rico WIC Program for their support, in particular Dana Miró (Executive Director), Blanca Sastre (Interim Supervisor of Nutrition and Lactation Division), and Marta Meaux (Nutrition Supervisor of the Trujillo Alto Clinic) and her team.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

About the authors

Kiara Amaro-Rivera, MSc, is a doctoral student in Nutrition at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is interested in studying the gut microbiome.

Andrea Lopez-Cepero, MSc, is completing a PhD in Clinical and Population Health Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She is interested in studying the associations between nutrition and health.

Beatriz Diaz, RN, is completing her doctoral degree at the School of Nursing in the Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico. She is interested in studying breastfeeding support.

Jae Eun Lee, DrPH, is the Director of Biostatistics and Research Development at RTRN Data Coordinating Center and a Research Professor of Biostatistics at Jackson State University. He is an expert in analysis of experimental and epidemiological studies.

Cristina Palacios, PhD, is a Professor of Nutrition in the School of Public Health, Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. She is interested in studying early feeding patterns in life and how this is related to obesity.

Additional information

Funding

This study was conducted with support from University of Puerto Rico Central Administration Grant, Capacity Advancement in Research Infrastructure, UPR-MFP 6251123 and in part by Awards 8G12MD007600, 2U54MD007587 and U54MD008149 from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.