TABLE 3.
Nutrient content of the observed diet and the set of dietary advice modeled for 19- to 30-y-old Egyptian women, and comparison with recommended intakes and safety limits1
| Energy and nutrient values (unit per day) | Mean observed intake | Dietary advice's mean nutrient content | Recommended intake2 for 19–30-y-old women | Safety limits3 | Difference between mean nutrient content of dietary advice and recommended intake |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy, kcal | 2389 ± 715 | 1573 | 21354 | NA | −562 |
| Carbohydrate, g | 307 ± 96 | 175 | 294–4005 | NA | −[119–225] |
| Total sugars,6 g | 98 ± 54 | 52 | <537 | NA | ‹ › |
| Fibers,6 g | 18 ± 8 | 19 | ≥255 | NA | −6 |
| Total fat, g | 89 ± 32 | 67 | 36–715 | NA | ‹ › |
| SFAs,6 g | 30 ± 13 | 18 | <245 | NA | ‹ › |
| Protein, g | 87 ± 28 | 69 | 53–805 | NA | ‹ › |
| Calcium, g | 1.00 ± 0.39 | 1.04 | ≥1.00 | NA | ‹ › |
| Copper,6 mg | 1.6 ± 0.6 | 1.5 | ≥0.9 | 5 | ‹ › |
| Iron, mg | 13.8 ± 4.6 | 16.4 | ≥29.48 | 509 | −13 |
| Iodine,6 μg | 211 ± 98 | 185 | ≥150 | 600 | ‹ › |
| Potassium,6 g | 3.4 ± 1.2 | 3.2 | ≥4.7 | NA | −1.5 |
| Magnesium,6 mg | 458 ± 148 | 379 | 220–310 | NA | ‹ › |
| Sodium,6 g | 2.79 ± 1.01 | 1.26 | <1.50 | NA | ‹ › |
| Phosphorous,6 mg | 1.41 ± 0.44 | 1.24 | ≥0.70 | NA | ‹ › |
| Zinc, mg | 11.0 ± 3.6 | 10.5 | 7.2–9 | 25 | ‹ › |
| Vitamin A, mg RE | 0.85 ± 1.28 | 1.67 | 0.50–0.70 | 3000 | ‹ › |
| Thiamin, mg | 1.3 ± 0.4 | 1.1 | ≥1.1 | NA | ‹ › |
| Riboflavin, mg | 1.6 ± 0.6 | 1.7 | ≥1.1 | NA | ‹ › |
| Niacin equivalents, mg | 21.3 ± 10.8 | 16.4 | 14–16 | 90010 | ‹ › |
| Vitamin B-6, mg | 1.5 ± 0.6 | 1.4 | ≥1.3 | 25 | ‹ › |
| Folate, μg | 308 ± 130 | 407 | ≥400 | 1000 | ‹ › |
| Vitamin B-12, μg | 6.0 ± 5.6 | 9.6 | ≥2.4 | NA | ‹ › |
| Vitamin C, mg | 152 ± 94 | 189 | 45–75 | NA | ‹ › |
| Vitamin D, μg | 3.3 ± 3.5 | 7.9 | 5–10 | 100 | ‹ › |
| Vitamin E,6 mg | 11.9 ± 6.4 | 12.3 | 7.5–15 | 300 | ‹ › |
Values for mean observed intakes are means ± SDs; n = 130. Energy and nutrient content of the set of dietary advice was estimated using the mean serving size and nutrient content of its recommended food groups, subgroups, and food items, as detailed in Supplemental Material 1. “‹ ›” indicates that the dietary advice's mean nutrient content is within or above the daily recommended nutrient intakes and is below safety limit (when applicable). NA, no safety limit was defined for the given nutrient (37); RE, retinol equivalents; RNI, Recommended Nutrient Intake; TEI, total energy intake.
Recommendations for all micronutrients except for iron are based on Egyptian RNIs for 19–30-year-old women (31).
Safety limits are based on the European Food Safety Authority reports (37).
Recommended energy intake estimated from the mean basal metabolic rate (29), calculated from the mean body weight of the women surveyed (73.9 kg), and multiplied by a physical activity level of 1.4.
Macronutrient recommended intakes are based on WHO/FAO population goals: carbohydrate, 55–75% of TEI; fiber >25 g/d; total fat, 15–30% of TEI; SFAs <10% of TEI; protein, 10–15% of TEI (30).
Nutrient not modeled in Optifood.
No recommendation exists on total sugar intakes. Since free sugars should be limited to 5–10% of TEI (38), we assumed that total sugar intakes should be limited to ≤10% of TEI.
For iron, a bioavailability of ∼10% is assumed (10), therefore leading to an RNI of 29.4 mg/d (11).
Safety limit for iron is based on temporary guidance level suggested by Rasmussen et al. (39) since no value was provided by the European Food Safety Authority.
Safety limit for niacin is 900 mg/d.