Table 6.
Food intake frequencies and correlation with iron and zinc concentrations in HM.
| Food Group | Median Values (Interquartile Ranges) of the Food Consumption Frequency 1 | Spearman Correlation Coefficient r | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HM Iron Concentration | HM Zinc Concentration | ||
| Grain based products (include 6 food items) |
20 (17.5–22) | 0.159 | 0.227 |
| Milk and milk products (include 10 food items) |
28 (13.5–33) | 0.159 | 0.113 |
| Eggs (include 1 food item) |
3.5 (3–4) | 0.400 * | −0.069 |
| Meat (include 8 food items) |
28 (23.75–31.25) | −0.01 | 0.12 |
| Fish and seafood (include 3 food items) |
28 (23.75–31.25) | −0.136 | 0.025 |
| Vegetables and legumes (include 4 food items) |
16 (10.75–16.25) | 0.497 * | 0.114 |
| Fruits (include 5 food items) |
18 (16–20) | 0.012 | 0.408 |
| Nuts and seeds (include 2 food items) |
7 (5.75–8) | −0.105 | 0.23 |
| Vegetable oils (include 6 food items) |
10.5 (8–15) | 0.165 | −0.092 |
| Sweets and snacks (include 8 food items) |
22 (16.75–26) | 0.169 | 0.443 |
1 The response options were arranged in five categories from ‘never’ (0 points), ‘less than once a week’ (1 point), ‘once or twice a week’ (2 points), ‘more than twice a week but not every day’ (3 points), to ‘every day’ (4 points). * p < 0.05.