Intake of total, animal and plant proteins, and their food sources in 10 countries in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

Abstract

Objective: To describe dietary protein intakes and their food sources among 27 redefined centres in 10 countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Methods: Between 1995 and 2000, 36 034 persons, aged between 35 and 74 years, were administered a standardized 24-h dietary recall (24-HDR) using a computerized interview software programme (EPIC-SOFT). Intakes (g/day) of total, animal and plant proteins were estimated using the standardized EPIC Nutrient Database (ENDB). Mean intakes were adjusted for age, and weighted by season and day of recall. Results: Mean total and animal protein intakes were highest in the Spanish centres among men, and in the Spanish and French centres among women; the lowest mean intakes were observed in the UK health-conscious group, in Greek men and women, and in women in Potsdam. Intake of plant protein was highest among the UK health-conscious group, followed by some of the Correspondence: Dr J Halkjaer, Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. E-mail: jytteh@cancer.dk Contributors: JH carried out the statistical analysis, prepared the tables and figures and wrote the paper, taking into account comments from all co-authors. NS was the overall coordinator of this project and of the EPIC nutritional databases (ENDB) project. JH, AO, LJB and GD were members of the 'protein working group' and gave input on statistical analyses, drafting of the manuscript and interpretation of results. The other co-authors were local EPIC collaborators involved in the collection of data, and in documenting, compiling and evaluating the subset of their national nutrient databases used in the ENDB. ER is the overall coordinator of the EPIC study. All co-authors provided comments and suggestions on the manuscript and approved the final version. Italian centres and Murcia, whereas Sweden and Potsdam had the lowest intake. Cereals contributed to the highest proportion of plant protein in all centres. The combined intake of legumes, vegetables and fruit contributed to a greater proportion of plant protein in the southern than in the northern centres. Total meat intake (with some heterogeneity across subtypes of meat) was, with few exceptions, the most important contributor to animal protein in all centres, followed by dairy and fish products. Conclusions: This study shows that intake of protein, especially of animal origin, differs across the 10 European countries, and also shows some differences in food sources of protein across Europe.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2009) 63, S16-S36; doi:10. 1038/ejcn.2009.73 Keywords: total proteins; animal proteins; plant proteins; EPIC; 24-h dietary recall; ENDB IntroductionDietary protein is an important macronutrient, contributing to around 15-20% of the total dietary energy intake in Western countries (CDC, 2004; Elmadfa and Weichselbaum, 2005).Protein, which contributes essential amino acids, is vital for human metabolism, and protein energ...

Intake of total, animal and plant protein and subsequent changes in weight or waist circumference in European men and women: the Diogenes project

“…19 Reasons for the heterogeneity across centres are not clear. However, the dietary sources of protein do vary in the different centres, 14 which might explain part of the differences. In the present study the additional analyses on protein from different animal food sources did, to some content, confirm this.…”

“…5,14 The analyses were based on centrally standardized covariables and harmonized nutrient databases (EPIC nutritional database (ENDB)). 15 The detailed information about the animal and plant origin of all food items, from which intake of animal and plant protein has been estimated provided important extra knowledge to investigate the association between health outcomes and sources of protein.…”

Association between dietary meat consumption and incident type 2 diabetes: the EPIC-InterAct study

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Energy intake and sources of energy intake in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

“…A detailed comparison of our results and those of the European Nutrition and Health Report would be inappropriate because of differences in dietary assessment methods and populations. Further details regarding energy intake from fat, including various types of fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein and alcohol are described elsewhere in this Supplement (Cust et al, 2009;Halkjaer et al, 2009;Linseisen et al, 2009;Sieri et al, 2009). These papers also present results on absolute intakes of macronutrients, their determinants and food sources.…”