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Effect of the choice of food composition table on nutrient estimates: a comparison between the British and American (Chilean) tables

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

V Garcia*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Sciences, King's College London, 5th Floor, Capital House, 42 Weston Street, London, SE1 3QD, UK Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
RJ Rona
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Sciences, King's College London, 5th Floor, Capital House, 42 Weston Street, London, SE1 3QD, UK
S Chinn
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Sciences, King's College London, 5th Floor, Capital House, 42 Weston Street, London, SE1 3QD, UK
*
*Corresponding author: Email Vanessa.Garcia@kcl.ac.uk
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Abstract

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Objective:

To determine the level of agreement between the American (Chilean) and British food composition tables in estimating intakes of macronutrients and antioxidants.

Design, setting and subjects: Information based on a food-frequency questionnaire with emphasis on antioxidants was collected from 95 Chileans aged 24–28 years. Nutritional composition was analysed using the British table of food composition and the American table of food composition modified by Chilean food items. Mean differences and limits of agreement (LOAs) of estimated intake were assessed.

Results:

Mean differences between the two tables of food composition ranged from 5.3% to 8.9% higher estimates when using the American (Chilean) table for macronutrients. For micronutrients, a bias towards a higher mean was observed for vitamin E, iron and magnesium when the American (Chilean) table was used, but the opposite was observed for vitamin A and selenium. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.86 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.81–0.91) to 0.998 (95% CI 0.995–1.00), indicating high to excellent agreement. LOAs for macronutrients and vitamins A and C were satisfactory, as they were sufficiently narrow. There was more uncertainty for other micronutrients.

Conclusion:

The American table gives relative overestimates of macronutrients in comparison to the British table, but the relative biases for micronutrients are inconsistent. Estimates of agreement between the two food composition tables provide reassurance that results are interchangeable for the majority of nutrients.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2004

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