Oral sterol intake in The Netherlands: evaluation of the results obtained by GC analysis of duplicate 24-h diet samples collected in 1994

In the spring and autumn of 1994, a total diet study, in which 123 particip ants collected duplicates of their 24-h diets, was carried out. One of the goals of this study was to determine the amount of sterols in the duplicate s of 24-h diets so that we could establish the oral daily intake of these a nalytes. Lyophilised samples were analysed for cholesterol, coprosterol, br assicasterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol content. The me an intake of all participants was: for cholesterol, 202 mg person(-1) day(- 1); for campesterol, 27 mg person(-1) day(-1); for stigmasterol, 15 mg pers on(-1) day(-1); and for beta-sitosterol, 102 mg person(-1) day(-1). The med ian intake of all participants was: for cholesterol, 160 mg person(-1) day( -1); for campesterol, 26 mg person(-1) day(-1); for stigmasterol, 14 mg per son(-1) day(-1); and for beta-sitosterol, 98 mg person(-1) day(-1). The mea n and median intake for brassicasterol could not be calculated because too many values were below the limit of determination. The coprosterol intake w as below the limit of determination for all samples. The mean intake for th e plant sterols was 146 mg person(-1) day(-1), and the mean total sterol in take was 348 mg person(-1) day(-1). The median intake for the plant sterols was 138 mg person(-1) day(-1) and the median total sterol intake was 313 m g person(-1) day(-1). On the day of sampling the cholesterol intake of 32 p articipants was above the recommendation of the Dutch Food and Nutrition Co uncil (Voedingsraad) of a maximum of 33 mg MJ(-1). The overall mean intake of cholesterol of 25 mg MJ(-1), however, is below this recommendation. The total sterol intake found in this study corresponds well with the results f ound in the 1984/1985 duplicate diet study. The sterol intake in mg MJ(-1) found in this study corresponds well with the results from the Dutch Nation al Food Consumption Survey and the Market Basket study. (C) 1999 Elsevier S cience Ltd. All rights reserved.