| dc.description.abstract | Introduction: There is no descriptive total polyphenol intake study available in adolescents, although a few studies
exist on specific polyphenols in single-country studies [1-3]. The purpose of the present study were to estimate
European adolescent’s dietary intake of polyphenols and to explore the main food contributions.
Materials and methods: Data were obtained from the HELENA study and were reported for 2428 adolescents (53
% girls). Food intake of polyphenols was estimated by two non-consecutive 24 hour recalls via matching with the
Phenol-Explorer database. Linear regression was performed to estimate dietary intake of polyphenols and socio-
demographic differences.
Results: Median, lower and upper quartiles of polyphenol intakes were 326, 167 and 564 mg/d, respectively. Main
food contributors of total polyphenols and flavonoids were fruit (22.9 %, mainly apple and pear i.e. 16.3 %);
chocolate products (19.2 %); and fruit and vegetable juices (15.6 %). Coffee was the primary food source to phenolic
acids intake, while the major food sources of lignans were bread, crisp bread, rusks and crackers (58-71 %). Wine
was the main source of stilbenes in all regions, with a contribution of 51-57 %. Cereal products were the most
important dietary source of other polyphenols, especially alkylphenols in all regions (54-80 %).
Conclusion: The current study provided for the first time numbers on the total polyphenol intake and their main
food sources in a heterogeneous group of European adolescents. Major differences with adult populations are the
lower polyphenol consumption and the major food sources, such as chocolate and biscuits. | en_US |
