Reducing dietary intake of added sugars could affect the nutritional adequacy of vitamin A in adolescents: the Costa Rica case.
BMC Public Health
; 23(1): 2503, 2023 12 14.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38097973
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In countries where sugar fortification with vitamin A is mandatory, strategies to reduce the prevalence of overweight/obesity in adolescents that involve lowering added sugar intake could lead to vitamin A inadequate intakes, since vitamin A-fortified sugar for home consumption contributes to a high proportion of this vitamin intake in the adolescent diet.METHODS:
The study employed a hierarchical linear model to perform a mediation analysis on a cross-sectional sample of adolescents (13-18 years old) in the province of San José, Costa Rica.RESULTS:
Lowering the total energy intake derived from added sugars to less than 10% significantly increases the prevalence of vitamin A inadequate intake in adolescents by 12.1% (from 29.6% to 41.7%). This is explained by the mediation model in which, the reduced adequacy of vitamin A intake is mediated by a reduction in total energy intake derived from added sugars fortified with vitamin A.CONCLUSIONS:
The vitamin A fortification of sugar for household consumption should be reassessed according to the current epidemiological profile in Costa Rica to promote strategies that reduce the prevalence of overweight/obesity in adolescents by lowering the consumption of added sugars without affecting vitamin A intake.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Vitamin A
/
Pediatric Obesity
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
America central
/
Costa rica
Language:
En
Journal:
BMC Public Health
Journal subject:
SAUDE PUBLICA
Year:
2023
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Costa Rica