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Title: Total a-Tocopherol Intakes Are Associated with Serum a-Tocopherol Concentrations in African American Adults

Author
item TALEGAWKAR, SAMEERA - HNRC TUFTS UNIVERSITY
item JOHNSON, ELIZABETH - HNRC TUFTS UNIVERSITY
item CARITHERS, TERESA - UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
item TAYLOR, HERMAN - UNIV OF MISS MED CTR
item Bogle, Margaret
item TUCKER, KATHERINE - HNRC TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Journal of Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2007
Publication Date: 10/2/2007
Citation: Talegawkar, S.A., Johnson, E.J., Carithers, T., Taylor, H.A., Bogle, M.L., Tucker, K.L. 2007. Total a-tocopherol intakes are associated with serum a-tocopherol concentrations in African American adults. Journal of Nutrition. 137(10):2297-2303.

Interpretive Summary: African American adults living in the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD) have a high prevalence of nutrition-related chronic diseases, i.e. heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc. A few vitamins have been suggested as playing a role in the prevention of some of these chronic diseases. Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is one of those vitamins. The Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Research Initiative (Delta NIRI) developed a Delta NIRI Adult Food Frequency (Delta NIRI FFQ) to determine the foods eaten over time by African Americans living in the LMD in order to plan for nutrition intervention research. The determination of the vitamins and other nutrients in foods eaten is generally measured by analyzing food records, dietary recalls or food frequency questionnaires. This study was conducted to determine if the vitamin E reported in foods and vitamin supplements eaten by African Americans (using the Delta NIRI FFQ) in the LMD met nutrient recommendation guidelines and could be documented in their blood. The results showed that the Delta NIRI Adult FFQ was a good measurement of vitamin E in the food eaten by African Americans in the Delta. In addition the study showed that most participants met the recommendations using both foods eaten and supplements; however, very few were meeting the guidelines by foods alone. Food sources of vitamin E consumed were not the richest sources of vitamin E. These important findings suggest that nutrition interventions in this group should target consuming additional vitamin E and using foods with greater amounts of vitamin E.

Technical Abstract: African Americans in the southern United State have a high prevalence of chronic disease. Tocopherol intake and status have been associated with protection against several chronic diseases. Our objectives were, therefore, to examine the association between tocopherol intakes as measured by 2 regional FFQ and their corresponding concentrations in serum and to report on dietary sources of tocopherols in 404 men and women participating in the cross-sectional Diet and Physical Activity Sub-Study of the Jackson Heart Study. A large proportion (49% of men and 66% of women) reported dietary supplement use. Only 5.8% of men and 4.5% of women met the estimated average requirement (EAR) for vitamin E from foods alone, whereas 44.2% men and 49.2% women met it from foods and supplements. Total (Diet 1 supplement) intake of a –tocopherol was associated with its corresponding measure in serum. Vitamin E supplement use, sex, serum cholesterol, education, and BMI, but not g-tocopherol intakes, were associated with serum g-tocopherol were snack chips and the top food source of d-Tocopherol was margarine. Despite prevalent vitamin E supplement use, more that one-half of this population did not meet the EAR for a-tocopherol intake and very few met it from food alone. Supplement use was associated with higher a- but lower g-tocopherol concentration in serum. The possible health implications of this deference in relative tocopherol subtypes require further study.