Author(s)

Theresa A. Nicklas, Carol E. O’Neil, DeAnn J. Liska, Nelson G. Almeida, Victor L. Fulgoni III

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Objective: The goal of this study was to simulate the application of the dietary recommendations to increase dietary fiber (DF)-containing foods. Methods: This study used 24-hour dietary recalls from NHANES 2003-2006 to model the impact of different approaches of increasing DF with current dietary patterns of US adults 19 + years: 1) increased all DF-containing foods by 10, 25, 50, or 100%; 2) increased DF content of low DF grain products to a good (2.5 g/serving) or an excellent source level (5.0 g/serving); and 3) increased intake of whole grain foods to meet the recommendation of one-half of total grain. Results: Increasing DF-containing foods by 10, 25, 50, or 100% increased DF intake to 16.9, 18.9, 22.1, and 29.5 g/d, respectively with a concomitant increase in energy of 104, 260, 521, 1042 kcal/d, respectively. Adding 2.5 or 5.0 g/serving DF to low DF grain foods to result in DF intakes of 24.7 and 39.1 g/day, respectively without increased energy. Increasing consumption of whole grain foods increased DF intake to 25.3 g/day but with an additional 1266 kcal/d. Conclusions: Adding additional DF to existing grain-based foods may be a reasonable approach to getting more DF, without increased energy, in the American diet.

Dietary Fiber, Adults, Statistical Modeling of Fiber, NHANES

T. Nicklas, C. O’Neil, D. Liska, N. Almeida and V. Fulgoni III, "Modeling Dietary Fiber Intakes in US Adults: Implications for Public Policy," Food and Nutrition Sciences, Vol. 2 No. 9, 2011, pp. 925-931. doi: 10.4236/fns.2011.29126.