Limitations of 24-hour Recall Method: Micronutrient Intake and the Presence of the Metabolic Syndrome

Dear Editor,

Congratulations to authors’ effort on the article entitled “Micronutrient intake and the presence of the metabolic syndrome,”[1] which was recently published in North American Journal of Medical Sciences.

However, I have some concerns with the use of 24-hour recall method to assess dietary intake (as done by the authors). This is because, the data generated by using this method may not represent the long-term dietary habits of the patient. So, finding an association between metabolic syndrome (a chronic condition) and micronutrient intake based on 24-hour recall may not be appropriate. Twenty-four hour recall is basically a retrospective method of diet assessment, where an individual is interviewed about their food and beverage consumption during the previous day or the preceding 24 hours. However, a single 24-hour recall is not considered to be representative of habitual diet at an individual level. This methodology is adequate for surveying intake in a large group and estimating group mean intakes of diet. This has been highlighted in a study that was conducted to decide on the methods for conducting dietary assessment in the UK Low Income Diet and Nutrition Survey (LIDNS).[2] Four repeat 24-hour recalls were recommended as the most appropriate method of dietary assessment, according to this study.[2] Furthermore, in a recent Australian study in adults, eight repeat 24-hour recalls were recommended to capture the variation that is usually present in diet.[3]