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Mineral and vitamin intake of infants and young children: the Nutri-Bébé 2013 survey

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Abstract

Purpose

Minerals and vitamins are essential for optimal growth and development, particularly during the first years of life. Therefore, regularly evaluating their intake makes sense. For this purpose, we report the data from the Nutri-Bébé 2013 survey in comparison with the European Food Safety Authority Adequate Intake (AI), or Average Requirement, (AR) according to age.

Methods

This observational, nationally representative, cross-sectional survey was conducted in 1035 non-breastfed French children aged 0.5–35 months. Dietary intake was recorded using a food diary on three non-consecutive days, framed by two face-to-face interviews.

Results

The intake of zinc, magnesium and water-soluble vitamins most of the time met the recommendations. From the first weeks of life, sodium intake exceeded the AI, with a maximum median intake of 1137 mg/day after the age of 30 months. However, it has decreased since 2005. Calcium median intake often exceeded the AI or AR, reaching a maximum of 780 mg/day between 18 and 23 months. Median vitamin A intake always exceeded the AI or AR but exceeded the recommended upper limit in only a few cases. After 2 years, median iron intake was clearly below the AR, i.e. lower than 6.0 mg/day. Dietary vitamin D intake was below the AI, thereby justifying adequate supplementation. Vitamin E intake was below the AI in 50–75% of toddlers.

Conclusion

This survey highlights excessive sodium intake as well as a shortfall of iron, vitamin D, and vitamin E intakes. The potential consequences of these discrepancies with respect to health outcomes remain to be assessed.

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Abbreviations

AI:

Adequate Intake

ANSES:

Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety)

AR:

Average requirement

Ca:

Calcium

CAPI:

Computer-assisted personal interviews

CIQUAL:

Centre d’Informations sur la Qualité des Aliments (Information Center on Food Quality)

CREDOC:

Centre de Recherche pour l’Étude et l’Observation des Conditions de Vie (Research Centre for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions)

d:

Day

DI:

Daily dietary Intake

DRVs:

Dietary reference values

EFSA:

European Food Safety Authority

FOF:

Follow-on-formula

FSB:

Foods intended specifically for babies

GUM:

Growing-up-milk

IF:

Infant Formula

IFN:

Institut Français de Nutrition (French Institute of Nutrition)

INCA:

(Enquête) Individuelle et Nationale sur les Consommations Alimentaires (Individual and National Food Consumption Survey)

NE:

Niacin equivalent

INSEE:

Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Economiques (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies)

IOM:

Institute of Medicine

mo:

Months

NS:

No significant difference

PRI:

Population reference intake

RE:

Retinol equivalent

SD:

Standard deviation

SFAE:

Secteur Français des Aliments de l’Enfance (French Organisation for Children’s Foods)

UL:

Upper limit

WHO:

World Health Organization

YCF:

Young child formula

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the families having participated in the survey, and all the SOFRES and CREDOC team members who contributed in collecting and analysing the data. The Nutri-Bébé survey has been funded by the “Secteur Français des Aliments de l’Enfance” (SFAE), 9 boulevard Malesherbes, Paris-75008 France.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paediatric Nutrition and Gastroenterology, Medical and Surgical Department of Paediatrics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, 21 rue du Bugnon, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Jean-Pierre Chouraqui

  2. CREDOC (Centre de Recherche pour l’Etude et l’Observation des Conditions de Vie), 142 rue du Chevaleret, 75013, Paris, France

    Gabriel Tavoularis

  3. Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Lille University Jeanne de Flandre Children’s Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Lille, INSERM U995, 59037, Lille, France

    Dominique Turck

  4. Montigny sur Loing, France

    Constance Ferry

  5. INSERM 1256, Lorraine University, 54000, Nancy, France

    François Feillet

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Contributions

JPC was involved in the study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, wrote the manuscript, and had responsibility for the final content of the manuscript. GT conceived the study, participated in its design and coordination, collected the data, performed the statistical analysis, and revised the manuscript. CF contributed in writing the manuscript. MB designed, coordinated and supervised the survey. DT and FF reviewed, and provided comments on drafts of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jean-Pierre Chouraqui.

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Conflict of interest

JPC received an honorarium as scientific consultant from the CREDOC. GT is employed by the CREDOC that received funding from the SFAE to carry out the present study. CF is employed by the SFAE. DT and FF declare that they have no competing interest.

Ethical approval

Ethical approval was not required according to French law, since the current research was conducted by an official polling institute, TNS Sofres, in full agreement with the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki and the French data protection act and did not involve invasive procedures or therapeutic intervention other than usual vitamin supplementation. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03327415).

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Chouraqui, JP., Tavoularis, G., Turck, D. et al. Mineral and vitamin intake of infants and young children: the Nutri-Bébé 2013 survey. Eur J Nutr 59, 2463–2480 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-02093-3

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