Iron intake and dietary sources of iron in Flemish adolescents

To investigate the dietary iron intake and food sources of iron in Flemish adolescents.

Cross-sectional survey; dietary assessment method: a 7-day estimated food record.

Private and public secondary schools in Ghent, a city in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium.

A total of 341 adolescents (129 boys and 212 girls), 13-18 y, randomly selected by a multistage clustered sampling technique.

The mean total iron intake (s.d.) for boys was 13.4 (+/- 2.91) mg/day and for girls 10.1 (+/- 2.79) mg/day. A proportion of 38.8% of the boys and 99.5% of the girls had a mean total iron intake below the Belgian Recommended Dietary Allowance and 3.1% of the boys and 71.2% of the girls below the British Estimated Average Requirement. When bioavailable iron intake is considered, 84.5% of the boys and only 16.5% of the girls met the age-specific requirement. The food groups with the highest mean proportional contribution to total iron intake in both males and females were bread, meat and meat products, cereals and potatoes. A comparison of adolescents from the highest tertile of iron intake (mg/day) with adolescents from the lowest tertile showed a significantly higher energy-adjusted intake of brown bread and a significantly lower intake of soft drinks in the former group in both boys and girls. A significantly higher energy-adjusted intake of breakfast cereals in adolescents of the highest tertile than those of the lowest tertile was seen in girls only. Analyses in consumers only did not change this overall picture.

One can conclude that the mean iron intake of Flemish girls is considerably lower than the current recommendations. An increased iron intake in this subgroup of the population is therefore advisable.