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Title: Whole grains contribute a small proportion of dietary fiber to the U.S. diet: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2010

Author
item KRANZ, SIBYLLE - University Of Bristol
item DODD, KEVIN - National Cancer Institute (NCI, NIH)
item JUAN, WENYEN - Food And Drug Administration(FDA)
item JOHNSON, LUANN - University Of North Dakota
item Jahns, Lisa

Submitted to: Nutrients
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/14/2017
Publication Date: 2/17/2017
Citation: Kranz, S., Dodd, K.D., Juan, W.D., Johnson, L.K., Jahns, L.A. 2017. Whole grains contribute a small proportion of dietary fiber to the U.S. diet: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2010. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu9020153.

Interpretive Summary: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, recommends that 50% of all grains consumed should be whole grains and Americans should eat a high-fiber diet. One component of whole grain is dietary fiber. Both whole grain and dietary fiber prevent a number of chronic diseases. To date, it is not know if the beneficial effect of whole grain might be attributable to its fiber content. This analysis of a nationally representative sample of Americans ages 2 through 85 years old was conducted to examine how much of the fiber eaten in the U.S. comes from whole grains. Results showed that only 15.3% of dietary fiber comes from whole grains while 45.5% is from non-grain food sources. Dietary fiber is severely underconsumed in the U.S. and our results can be used to formulate future dietary guidance to improve dietary fiber consumption and public health.

Technical Abstract: The United States (U.S.) food supply offers a variety of foods that are considered “whole grain” foods and consumption of whole grains is recommended to be 50% of all grains consumed. Whole grain intake prevents a number of chronic diseases; however, the specific component of whole grains that protects health has not yet been established. Whole grains are considered to be a major source of dietary fiber. Although some whole grains are high in dietary fiber, not all whole grain foods provide much dietary fiber. This analysis of a nationally representative sample of Americans ages 2 through 85 years old in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES) 2003-2010 was designed to examine the distribution of whole grain and dietary fiber intake of Americans. Results showed that only 15.3% of dietary fiber is from whole grains and 45.5% is consumed from non-grain food sources. As dietary fiber is severely underconsumed in the U.S., these results may be used to help formulate future dietary guidance to improve public health by increasing dietary fiber consumption.