TABLE 2.
Energy and macronutrient intake of adults (N = 9564) by quintile of animal protein (AP) intake1, What We Eat in America, NHANES 2015–2018
| Nutrient | ALL | Q12 | Q23 | Q34 | Q45 | Q56 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SE) | Mean (SE) | Mean (SE) | Mean (SE) | Mean (SE) | Mean (SE) | |
| Energy, kcal | 2129 (20) | 2030 (32)a | 2202 (29)b | 2172 (28)b,c | 2197 (33)b,c | 2036 (31)a,c |
| Protein, g7 | 82.2 (1.1) | 61 (1.2)a | 75 (1.0)b | 81 (1.2)c | 90 (1.2)d | 104 (1.8)e |
| Animal protein, g | 54.8 (0.2) | 23 (1.4)a | 43 (0.8)b | 55 (0.8)c | 68 (1.0)d | 91 (2.1)e |
| Animal protein, % | 66.7 (0.3) | 37 (0.5a | 57 (0.1)b | 66 (0.1)c | 74 (0.9)d | 85 (0.2)e |
| Plant protein, g | 25.8 (0.3) | 35 (0.9)a | 31 (0.6)b | 27 (0.4)c | 23 (0.3)d | 16 (0.3)e |
| Plant protein, % | 31.4 (0.3) | 56 (0.7)a | 40 (0.2)b | 33 (0.1)c | 25 (0.1)d | 15 (0.2)e |
| Carbohydrate, g | 244 (2.7) | 263 (2.6)a,b | 270 (4.3)b | 255 (3.8)a,b | 243 (4.3)a,c | 197 (3.9)d |
| Fat, g | 86.1 (0.9) | 77 (1.6)a | 86 (1.5)b | 88 (1.4)b | 91 (1.7)b | 87 (1.3)b |
| Saturated fat, g | 28.0 (0.4) | 23 (0.5)a | 28 (0.5)b | 29 (0.5)b,c | 30 (0.6)c | 29 (0.6)b,c |
| Polyunsaturated fat, g | 20.1 (0.3) | 20 (0.5) | 20 (0.5) | 21 (0.5) | 21 (0.5) | 19 (0.4) |
1
Group comparisons were made by t-tests in a regression model adjusting for age, sex, income, race/ethnicity, smoking, and weight status.
2
Q1: Lowest quintile of animal protein (AP) (<49.8%).
3
Q2: Second lowest quintile of AP (49.8–61.7%).
4
Q3: Middle quintile of AP (61.8–70.0%).
5
Q4: Second highest quintile of AP (70.1–78.3%).
6
Q5: Highest quintile of AP (≥78.4%).
7
Percentages and grams of animal and plant protein may not total 100% or total protein grams due to allocation of some ingredients to “Miscellaneous” protein.
a,b,c,d,eResults with different superscripts are significantly different, P <0.001.