DIETARY SOURCES OF IRON IN ENGLISH ADOLESCENTS

Adolescents have been identified as a group in which iron intake may b e inadequate. Previous studies have reported values for total iron int ake but few have reported iron intake from different dietary sources. Information on the proportion of dietary iron provided by different fo od groups provides a clearer insight into the adequacy of the diet and assists health education. This paper reports the contribution of diff erent food groups to total iron intake in 379, 11 to 12-year-old, adol escents. Each child completed two 3-day dietary records between Januar y and July 1990, and was interviewed by one dietitian to clarify infor mation recorded. Food tables were used to calculate nutrient intake. T otal iron intake was 11.7 mg/day in boys and 11.2 mg/day in girls. The four most important sources of iron were meat and meat products (18.7 %), breakfast cereals (14.8%), bread (11.9%) and potatoes (11.1%). Veg etables contributed only 3.4%. An appreciable amount of iron was deriv ed from chocolate (4.1%). Less 'desirable' foods i.e. crisps, chips an d chocolate together accounted for 13% of the total iron intake. The c ontribution to total iron intake by each source was similar for boys a nd girls.