Estimating Inulin Intake and Its Contribution to Total Fibre Intake in UK School-Aged Children: A Pilot Feasibility...

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Dietary Assessment
• Pediatric Nutrition

Background:

• Children in the UK often do not meet recommended dietary fibre intake levels.
• Inulin, a prebiotic fibre, is present in various foods and can contribute to fibre consumption.
• Current dietary assessments do not routinely include inulin intake.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the feasibility of identifying dietary inulin sources in school-aged children.
• To estimate the impact of inulin consumption on children's total dietary fibre intake.
• To identify the main food contributors of inulin in the diet of children.

Main Methods:

• A pilot cross-sectional study involving 154 school-aged children using a 24-hour dietary recall.
• Collated inulin content data from literature and food labels.
• Calculated inulin intake from homemade and takeaway foods, estimating total fibre using AOAC methods and Nutritics software.

Main Results:

• Median fibre-plus-inulin intake was 16.3 g/day, higher than the 14 g/day of AOAC fibre alone.
• Inulin intake was estimated at a median of 1.3 g/day.
• Cereal and cereal products were the largest contributors to inulin intake (58.1%), followed by mixed dishes, vegetables, and fruits.

Conclusions:

• It is feasible to incorporate inulin into dietary fibre estimations for children.
• Including inulin in fibre assessments could increase total fibre intake estimates by approximately 8%.
• It is important to consider inulin and other fructans when evaluating population-level fibre consumption in children.