Changes in food and nutrient intake in middle-aged men from 1960 to 1985 (the Zutphen Study)

Within the Zutphen Study dietary surveys using the cross-check dietary history method were carried out in 1960, 1965, 1970, and 1985. Of the 872 men aged 40-59 y examined in 1960, 315 participated in all four surveys. In 1985 a small random sample of 51 men aged 40-59 y was also investigated. Between 1960 and 1985 the consumption of bread, potatoes, and edible fats decreased and the consumption of fruits, pastries, nuts, and alcoholic beverages increased in both the aging cohort and in the two independent samples of middle-aged men examined 25 y apart. These changes were accompanied by a substantial decrease in the intake of monounsaturated fat, polysaccharides, and potassium and a substantial increase in animal protein and alcohol. Small changes were observed in the intake of saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary cholesterol, and dietary fiber. Since 1960 some changes in a nutritionally desirable direction were observed but the diet of the Zutphen men in 1985 departs substantially from the guidelines for a healthy diet formulated by The Netherlands Nutrition Council in 1986.