Compiling a Nutrient Database for Food Frequency Questionnaire Analysis of Dietary Intake in the Southern Cone of Latin America

DEFAGÓ MD, ELORRIAGA N, CORMIK G, BAZZANO LA, HE J, IRAZOLA V, RUBINSTEIN A

Washigton DC

Encuentro; Annual meeting, Global Health Initiative de NHLBI; 2011

National Institutes of Health

Background: The relationship between diet and disease has been studied for over a century and it has been shown that diet plays an important role in the emergence and development of chronic diseases of high prevalence, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer (1,2). The need for information on food composition that is up to date, accurate and reliable is critical to establishing a food policy aimed at promoting health. However, the countries involved in CESCAS I study (Study of Detection and Follow-up of Cardiovascular Disease and Risk Factors in the Southern Cone of Latin America) currently do not have representative and comprehensive table nutrient composition database for typical foods. One of the aims of the CESCAS study is to explore dietary patterns by a FFQ in relation to a database of commonly consumed foods to 8,000 participants randomly sampled from 4 cities in Argentina (Marcos Paz and Bariloche), Chile (Temuco) and Uruguay (Canelones). The compilation of a nutrient database is a process of gathering information on the chemical composition of food and includes a standardized sequence of steps, resulting in an accurate and reliable database (3). Objective: To compile a nutrient composition database representative of available foods in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Methods: We developed the following steps: ü  Search for potential sources of information: scientific publications in books and indexed journals, technical reports of national and regional health agencies, including Ministries of Health and PAHO, as well as Google searching for grey literature over the internet. ü  Review: data analysis, validity and methodological quality. ü  Selection: a description of the food, numerical data on composition, representativeness (sampling, analytical method) and source. ü  Rating: categorizing foods, coding, review of data. The database was designed in Microsoft Excel 2007. Preliminary results: The database was made up of 378 foods, food preparations and supplements commonly consumed and included the energy value and chemical composition for 66 macro and micro nutrients, expressed per 100 grams of food. The items were grouped into 15 groups (cereals and cereals products, beverages, meat and meat products, commonly prepared dishes, sweets, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, miscellaneous, fats and oils, cheese, fish, eggs, dietary supplements) encoded alphanumerically. The selected information sources were, in order of priority: LATINFOODS. A food composition table for Latin America produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as a component of the INFOODS network (International Network of Food Data). From this source we selected data referring to total energy, water, protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, fat, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, minerals, trace elements, vitamins and alcohol (4). One scientific publication in an indexed peer-review journal was selected to characterize saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (5). Nutrient Data Laboratory from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture was used to complete data on absent macro-and micronutrients in LATINFOODS (6). Conclusion: The compiled database contributes to the estimation of food and nutrient intakes. It is a dynamic and flexible tool that allows the addition of other foods and nutrients in the future. This database will not only be applied to the analysis of the CESCAS FFQ, and other studies related to the food habits of the population but also to nutrition program planning and monitoring of interventions. In addition, it will be an important tool to inform decision making on local and regional food policies.