USDA Study Finds Lower Iron, Zinc, Calcium Intakes : Cutting Back on Fat and Cholesterol Levels Could Be Reducing Nutrition

In an attempt to cut down on fat and cholesterol, women may also have lowered their intakes of iron, zinc and calcium to shaky levels, findings of a USDA research study revealed.

Speaking to registered dietitians at a symposium on heart disease sponsored jointly by the California Dietetic Assn. and the Dairy Council of California, Susan Welsh Ph.D., R.D., director of Nutrition Education Division of the Human Nutrition Information Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, pointed to the USDA survey showing that women--particularly women in the high-income bracket--seem to be reducing the amounts of meat, eggs and milk in their diet, thus shortchanging consumption of important nutrients.

The Continuing Survey of Food Intakes of Individuals (CSFII), initiated in 1985 and carried out in 1986 by the USDA, studied the six-day diets of 1,500 women between the ages of 19 and 50 in all income brackets, their 1- to 5-year-old children and a small sampling of men.

The diets studied in 1985 differed remarkably from data taken in 1977. Compared with eight years earlier, women in 1985 consumed more skim and low-fat milk, but they also drank less whole milk and ate less meat and few eggs. They also increased intakes of carbonated soft drinks and mixed foods, according to the 1985 study.

Decline in Meat Use

It was the higher income, better educated group of women in the study who led in the food consumption changes.

“This is surprising because surveys have for decades shown that people who could afford it, bought the most meat. But in 1985, this was not the case. This reflects the greater decline in meat use by high-income women than by low income women,” Welsh said.

The danger in reducing one’s intake of fat, according to Welsh, is that such reductions also decrease sources of zinc, iron and calcium, as well as magnesium and Vitamin B-6. An excellent source of the missing zinc, iron, B-6 and magnesium is red meat, and one of the chief sources of calcium in the common diet is milk and other dairy products. Shortages of iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia and low stores of calcium are associated with osteoporosis, a crippling bone disease occuring primarily in aging women.

“These levels do not necessarily mean that severe nutrient deficiencies exist,” Welsh said. “The RDA is set high intentionally to cover requirements of almost everyone in all sex and age groups. However, these nutrient intake levels for women of child-bearing age indicate that some guidance and food assistance programs should continue to stress the importance of consuming a varied diet and provide special information about good sources of these nutrients.”

‘Patterns Must Be Changed’

The study also found that just half of the women ate no legumes, nuts, nut butter or seeds; and less than a third ate dark green vegetables or deep yellow vegetables. A sizable portion of women--about 10% to 25%--consumed no fruit or fruit juices at all. “If we are to count on these foods for nutrients, such patterns must be changed,” Welsh said. The study also revealed that 80% of the women 19 to 50 years of age were below the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for magnesium, Vitamin B-6 and folacin, as well as calcium, iron and zinc. Folacin is a nutrient found chiefly in fruits and vegetables. Nuts, nut butter and seeds are especially high in nutrients attributed to meat products, such as iron, niacin, vitamins B-6, B-12, magnesium and zinc.

“The lesson learned here is that a varied diet, as recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, with emphasis on foods that provide the missing nutrients, is an important nutrition education message regardless of income, race, or region,” Welsh said.

The study revealed yet another dietary oddity: although high-income women reduced their meat, whole milk and egg intakes to achieve low-fat diets, their intakes of fat, both as grams of fat and percentage of calories, were as high or slightly higher than those of low income women, who were less prone to make these shifts, pointed out Welsh.

The study showed that the percentage of calories from fat in the diets of the women studied was 37% in women’s diets and 36% in men’s, with the higher income women intakes slightly higher than the lower income women. “This is above the 30% to 35% level that some authorities (National Academy of Sciences) suggest, but not as high as the 40% or more frequently quoted from earlier studies,” Welsh pointed out. Cholesterol intakes averaged about 300 milligrams per day, the top level recommended by some authoritative health groups. U.S. Dietary Guidelines call for avoiding too much fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.

Were did the additional fat come from in the diets of high-income women?

“It certainly didn’t come from meat or whole milk. High-income women did consume more cheese, cream desserts and salad dressings than did low-income women,” Welsh said.

Welsh pointed out that consumers are still confused over the fat issue. “They don’t know how to decrease fat in the diet, so they single out milk, meat and eggs as culprits, and switch to other high sources of fat, such as cheese and creamy desserts.”

Welsh pointed out that instead of reducing intake of meat, eggs and milk to dangerous levels, it is wise to substitute lower-fat milk, cheese and yogurt and leaner meats for those higher in fat. “We can lower fat levels without jeopardizing nutrients by making lower fat selections within food groups,” Welsh said.

What did the study say about carbohydrate intake? Carbohydrate, from both starch and sugars, provided 46% of total calories--up from 1977. Dietary fiber is estimated at about 12 grams a day for women, below the 20 grams or more a day that the National Cancer Institute recommends. Fiber intakes by men were closer to the NCI recommendation, averaging 18 grams per day. Increase intake of sugar-containing foods, especially soft drinks, probably accounted for some of the increased carbohydrate intake. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggest eating foods with adequate starch and fiber, but avoiding too much sugar.

Sodium intake was at safe intake levels (according to recommendations by the Food and Nutrition Board), for women in all regions. However the FNB estimates are considered low because they do not include sodium in salt added at the table.

Welsh advised a food plan outlined by the USDA, which, depending on energy expenditure levels, should include at least two servings daily from the milk and milk products group, as good sources of calcium, riboflavin, protein, B-12 and magnesium; two servings from the meat and meat alternates group which provide excellent sources of protein, iron, niacin, vitamins B-6, B-12, magnesium and zinc; four to six servings daily from the vegetable-fruit group for vitamins A and C, folic acid and fiber; and four to six servings daily from the bread-cereal group for thiamine, niacin, iron, zinc and fiber.

Extra foods, in which hidden fats lurk (cake, pie, cookies, doughnuts, candy, sweet rolls, chips and granola), should be limited in the diet. Added fats, such as salad dressing, margarine, butter, oils, gravy, sauces, and added sweets, such as sugar, jam, syrup, honey and candy should not be relied upon for nutrients, as most are high in fat and calories.

Welsh reported that sodium intake levels reported in the study for 86% of the women were within the 3.3 grams daily intake range suggested by the Food and Nutrition Board as safe and adequate for women, but above it for men.

Both women and children in the study ate more often in 1985 than in 1977. The frequency of eating in 1985 was four times a day, while in 1977, three times a day was reported most often.

Snacking, too, increased between 1977 and 1985. In 1977 about 60% of the women and children reported snacking on the survey day. In 1985, about 80% did so on one day.

Eating away from home, also increased between 1977 and 1985, according to Welsh’ report. The proportion of women eating out increased from 45% in spring of 1977, to 57% in the spring of 1985. Over the days studied in 1985, 88% of the women and 79% of the children ate out at least once.

The proportion of total intake that women ate away from home differed among food groups, reported Welsh. “Women consumed over 40% of their alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, and 30% of the meat, poultry, and fish away from home. They had the smallest proportion of their milk and milk products away from home.”

Breakfast provided another interesting result, according to Welsh. “Although most all women and children reported eating breakfast at least once during the four days in 1985, only 53% of the women and 85% of the children had breakfast on each of the four days.

Unhealthy Cholesterol Levels

On the same program, Jacqueline Sooter-Bochenek, MS, RD, clinical nutrition director at the UC San Diego Medical Center, pointed out that half the people older than 40 have unhealthy blood cholesterol levels that can be lowered to optimum ranges with minor dietary adjustments.

“Simple modifications should do the trick of reducing serum cholesterol to healthy levels,” she said. “For every 1% reduction in serum cholesterol levels, a patient with high-risk cholesterol levels can expect a 2% reduction in risk for coronary heart disease.

Her recommendations:

--Limit fat intake to 30% of the total calories.

--Total fat intake should aim for one-third saturated fats, one-third polyunsaturated fats and one-third mono-unsaturated fats.

--Consume no more than 300 milligrams cholesterol per day.

Sooter-Bochenek said that limiting added fats, such as cooking oil, margarine, butter, salad dressings, commercially prepared pies, cakes, cookies and sweet rolls can reduce total fat.

She advised that because high intake of saturated fat can elevate serum cholesterol levels, one should look to lowering total fat with emphasis on saturated fat. “Saturated fat can be decreased by switching to--not eliminating--lower fat dairy foods; lean, fat-trimmed beef; skinless poultry and fish, Sooter-Bochenek said.

Luncheon meats, bacon, sausage, pepperoni and salami are high in saturated fat and should be used sparingly. “Also keep an eye out for hidden saturated fats, including hydrogenated vegetable oils, used in making crackers, cakes, cookies and other processed foods,” she said.

Decreasing intake of processed snack foods, such as chips and snack cakes, which are, for the most part, made with coconut oil, a highly saturated fat, can also help reduce total fat and saturated fat intake.