engleski

Morning, lunch-time and evening intake of micronutrients among Croatian adolescents

Introduction: Unbalanced nutrition in adolescents can contribute to obesity and result in micronutrient deficiencies (1, 2). Although evidence of micronutrient distribution during the day among adolescents is scarce, it is suggested that missing lunch can lead to more frequent micronutrient deficiencies (3). Objectives: This study was aimed at investigating the daily distribution of calcium, magnesium and sodium intake in a cohort of adolescents. Methodology: A total of 320 girls and 312 boys, aged 15.6 +/- 0.4 years (mean +/- SD), were included in the study. Dietary intake was assessed with single multi-pass 24-hour recall, administered during the first, and repeated after 3 years, during their final year of high school. The distribution of calcium, magnesium and sodium intake during the day was divided into morning (awakening - 11 AM), lunch- time (11 AM – 6 PM) and evening intake (after 6 PM). Significancy was investigated by use of the paired, two-tailed t-test. Results: Among the first year high school students, about 70% of daily calcium intake was during morning (35%) and lunch-time (36%). During their final year, daily calcium intake was 33, 32 and 35% for morning, lunch-time, and evening, respectively. Magnesium intake was highest during lunch time (41%), and daily distribution of intake was almost the same when comparing the first and last year students. The same was observed for sodium intake: > 40% of daily intake was during lunch-time, and the distribution of daily intake remained similar during high school years. Conclusion: Calcium intake among adolescents was concentrated during morning and evening hours, while magnesium and sodium intake was the highest in lunch-time period. Final year secondary school students had significantly higher calcium (p=0.02) and sodium (p<0.01) lunch-time intake. Older participants had significantly higher evening (p=0.01) and overall (p<0.01) sodium intake, as well as overall magnesium intake (p=0.03).

timing ; intake ; calcium ; magnesium ; sodium ; adolescents

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