Nutrient density

Last updated

Nutrient density identifies the amount of beneficial nutrients in a food product in proportion to e.g. energy content, weight or amount of perceived detrimental nutrients. Terms such as nutrient rich and micronutrient dense refer to similar properties. Currently there is no universal standard for the term nutrient density, nor an agreed unit with which to measure it.

Contents

Several different national and international standards have been developed and are in use (see Nutritional rating systems).

Definition and usage

According to the World Health Organization, nutrient profiling [1] classifies and/or ranks foods by their nutritional composition in order to promote human (and/or animal) health and to prevent disease. [2] Ranking by nutrient density is one such nutrient profiling strategy. Ordering foods by nutrient density is a statistical method of comparing foods by the proportion of nutrients in foods. Some such comparisons can be the glycemic index and the overall nutritional quality index.

When the density is defined in proportion to energy contents, nutrient-dense foods such as meats, fruits and vegetables are the opposite of energy-dense food (also called "empty calorie" food), such as alcohol and foods high in added sugar or processed cereals. [3] [4] Beyond its use to distinguish different types of food from each other, nutrient density allows comparison to be made for different examples or samples of the same kind of food. Nutrient density is correlated with soil quality and mineralization levels of the soil,[ citation needed ] although the relationship is complex and incorporates other dimensions.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reported in 2013 that:

Several indicators of nutrient quality have been summarized by the Academy. [5] [6]

The Nutrient Rich Food Index has been developed by a research coalition involving food and nutrition practitioners. [7] This index uses nutrient profiles that have been validated against accepted measures of a healthy diet, such as the Healthy Eating Index created by the USDA. [8]

International standards

The Nutrient Profiling Scoring Calculator (NPSC) in Australia and New Zealand is a calculator for determining whether health claims can be made for a food by its reference to the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC). It is defined by the FSANZ Board, which operates under the FSANZ Act. [9]

The United Kingdom Ofcom nutrient profiling model provides "a single score for any given food product, based on calculating the number of points for ‘negative’ nutrients which can be offset by points for ‘positive’ nutrients." A 2007 UK-commissioned review of nutrient profiling models commissioned by the UK Food Standards Agency identified over 40 different schemes. [10]

The World Health Organization reviews scientific and operational issues related to human nutrition, specifically when developing world populations are impacted. [1]

History

Timeline

Criticism

The following aspects of nutrient density measures have been criticized.

Measuring in proportion to energy content

If nutrient density is measured in proportion to the food's energy content:

  1. By design, it premiers micronutrients over macronutrients, since most macronutrients contribute to food energy content (and thereby decrease the density measure).
  2. A food product with excellent micronutrient content may get a very low nutrient density, if it also has significant energy content, even if that energy is provided by healthy macronutrients like essential amino acids, unsaturated fats and slow carbohydrates.
  3. A food product with very low energy content may get a very high density, even if its actual micronutrient content is low.
  4. Focusing on low-energy food may create or trigger already existing eating disorders.

Using a single measure for multiple nutrients

No natural food product contains all essential nutrients and nutrient density will not tell you which ones are missing. So even a diet based on a lot of high-density products could still lack several essential nutrients.

Choice of nutrients included in the measure

  1. If all essential nutrient or micronutrients are included in the measure, it will remove focus from the nutrients that are most often lacking in people's diets.
  2. If a selection of nutrients is made (e.g. based on how often they are lacking in people's diets), the selection will not be relevant to everyone, because some people lack completely different nutrients.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat</span> Esters of fatty acid or triglycerides

In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nutrition</span> Provision to cells and organisms to support life

Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain the required amount of nutrients causes malnutrition. Nutritional science is the study of nutrition, though it typically emphasizes human nutrition.

A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excreted by cells to create non-cellular structures such as hair, scales, feathers, or exoskeletons. Some nutrients can be metabolically converted into smaller molecules in the process of releasing energy such as for carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and fermentation products leading to end-products of water and carbon dioxide. All organisms require water. Essential nutrients for animals are the energy sources, some of the amino acids that are combined to create proteins, a subset of fatty acids, vitamins and certain minerals. Plants require more diverse minerals absorbed through roots, plus carbon dioxide and oxygen absorbed through leaves. Fungi live on dead or living organic matter and meet nutrient needs from their host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human nutrition</span> Nutrients supporting human health

Human nutrition deals with the provision of essential nutrients in food that are necessary to support human life and good health. Poor nutrition is a chronic problem often linked to poverty, food security, or a poor understanding of nutritional requirements. Malnutrition and its consequences are large contributors to deaths, physical deformities, and disabilities worldwide. Good nutrition is necessary for children to grow physically and mentally, and for normal human biological development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mineral (nutrient)</span> Chemical element required by organisms for life functions

In the context of nutrition, a mineral is a chemical element. Some "minerals" are essential for life, but most are not. Minerals are one of the four groups of essential nutrients; the others are vitamins, essential fatty acids, and essential amino acids. The five major minerals in the human body are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium. The remaining minerals are called "trace elements". The generally accepted trace elements are iron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, iodine, selenium, and bromine; there is some evidence that there may be more.

The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) is a system of nutrition recommendations from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) of the National Academies. It was introduced in 1997 in order to broaden the existing guidelines known as Recommended Dietary Allowances. The DRI values differ from those used in nutrition labeling on food and dietary supplement products in the U.S. and Canada, which uses Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs) and Daily Values (%DV) which were based on outdated RDAs from 1968 but were updated as of 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-carbohydrate diet</span> Diets restricting carbohydrate consumption

Low-carbohydrate diets restrict carbohydrate consumption relative to the average diet. Foods high in carbohydrates are limited, and replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fat and protein, as well as low carbohydrate foods.

Micronutrients are essential dietary elements required by organisms in varying quantities to regulate physiological functions of cells and organs. Micronutrients support the health of organisms throughout life.

Calorie restriction is a dietary regimen that reduces the energy intake from foods and beverages without incurring malnutrition. The possible effect of calorie restriction on body weight management, longevity, and aging-associated diseases has been an active area of research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthy diet</span> Type of diet

A healthy diet is a diet that maintains or improves overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, macronutrients such as protein, micronutrients such as vitamins, and adequate fibre and food energy.

Specific dynamic action (SDA), also known as thermic effect of food (TEF) or dietary induced thermogenesis (DIT), is the amount of energy expenditure above the basal metabolic rate due to the cost of processing food for use and storage. Heat production by brown adipose tissue which is activated after consumption of a meal is an additional component of dietary induced thermogenesis. The thermic effect of food is one of the components of metabolism along with resting metabolic rate and the exercise component. A commonly used estimate of the thermic effect of food is about 10% of one's caloric intake, though the effect varies substantially for different food components. For example, dietary fat is very easy to process and has very little thermic effect, while protein is hard to process and has a much larger thermic effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empty calories</span> Calories with no nutritional value

In human nutrition, empty calories are those calories found in foods and beverages composed primarily or solely of calorie-rich macronutrients such as sugars and fats, but little or no micronutrients, fibre, or protein. Foods composed mostly of empty calories have low nutrient density, meaning few other nutrients relative to their energy content. Empty calories are more difficult to fit into a diet that is both balanced and within TDEE, and so readily create an unhealthy diet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-fat diet</span> Diet that contains limited amounts of fat

A low-fat diet is one that restricts fat, and often saturated fat and cholesterol as well. Low-fat diets are intended to reduce the occurrence of conditions such as heart disease and obesity. For weight loss, they perform similarly to a low-carbohydrate diet, since macronutrient composition does not determine weight loss success. Fat provides nine calories per gram while carbohydrates and protein each provide four calories per gram. The Institute of Medicine recommends limiting fat intake to 35% of total calories to control saturated fat intake.

Nutritional rating systems are used to communicate the nutritional value of food in a more-simplified manner, with a ranking, than nutrition facts labels. A system may be targeted at a specific audience. Rating systems have been developed by governments, non-profit organizations, private institutions, and companies. Common methods include point systems to rank foods based on general nutritional value or ratings for specific food attributes, such as cholesterol content. Graphics and symbols may be used to communicate the nutritional values to the target audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western pattern diet</span> Modern dietary pattern

The Western pattern diet is a modern dietary pattern that is generally characterized by high intakes of pre-packaged foods, refined grains, red meat, processed meat, high-sugar drinks, candy and sweets, fried foods, industrially produced animal products, butter and other high-fat dairy products, eggs, potatoes, corn, and low intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pasture-raised animal products, fish, nuts, and seeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal source foods</span> Food that comes from animals

Animal source foods (ASF) include many food items that come from an animal source such as fish, meat, dairy, eggs and honey. Many individuals consume little ASF or even none for long periods of time by either personal choice or necessity, as ASF may not be accessible or available to these people.

Obesity in Mexico is a relatively recent phenomenon, having been widespread since the 1980s with the introduction of ultra-processed food into much of the Mexican food market. Prior to that, dietary issues were limited to under and malnutrition, which is still a problem in various parts of the country. Following trends already ongoing in other parts of the world, Mexicans have been foregoing the traditional Mexican diet high in whole grains, fruits, legumes and vegetables in favor of a diet with more animal products and ultra-processed foods. It has seen dietary energy intake and rates of overweight and obese people rise with seven out of ten at least overweight and a third clinically obese.

Dietary Reference Values (DRV) is the name of the nutritional requirements systems used by the United Kingdom Department of Health and the European Union's European Food Safety Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weight management</span> Techniques for maintaining body weight

Weight management comprises behaviors, techniques, and physiological processes that contribute to a person's ability to attain and maintain a healthy weight. Most weight management techniques encompass long-term lifestyle strategies that promote healthy eating and daily physical activity. Weight management generally includes tracking weight over time and identifying an individual's ideal body weight.

References

  1. 1 2 Nutrient profiling: Report of a WHO/IASO technical meeting London, United Kingdom 4–6 October 2010 (PDF). World Health Organization. 2011. ISBN   978-92-4-150220-7.
  2. ↑ Nutrient Profiling, accessed 10/15/2014
  3. ↑ Hunter, J. G., Cason, K. L., Nutrient Density, Clemson University, 2006(November), accessed 10/15/2014. Nutrient density is defined as "a measure of the nutrients provided per calorie of food, or the ratio of nutrients to calories (energy)."
  4. ↑ Darmon N, Darmon M, Maillot M, Drewnowski A (December 2005). "A nutrient density standard for vegetables and fruits: nutrients per calorie and nutrients per unit cost". J Am Diet Assoc. 105 (12): 1881–7. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2005.09.005. PMID   16321593.
  5. ↑ Drewnowski A (August 2009). "Defining nutrient density: development and validation of the nutrient rich foods index". J Am Coll Nutr. 28 (Suppl 4): 421S –6S. doi:10.1080/07315724.2009.10718106. PMID   20368382.
  6. ↑ Drewnowski A (April 2010). "The Nutrient Rich Foods Index helps to identify healthy, affordable foods". Am J Clin Nutr. 91 (4): 1095S –1101S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2010.28450D. PMID   20181811.
  7. ↑ Trichterborn J, Harzer G, Kunz C (September 2011). "Nutrient profiling and food label claims: evaluation of dairy products in three major European countries". Eur J Clin Nutr. 65 (9): 1032–8. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.52 . PMID   21540877.
  8. ↑ Freeland-Graves JH, Nitzke S (February 2013). "Position of the academy of nutrition and dietetics: total diet approach to healthy eating". J Acad Nutr Diet. 113 (2): 307–17. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2012.12.013. PMID   23351634.
  9. ↑ FSANZ Board, Nutrient Profiling Scoring Calculator, accessed 10/15/2014
  10. ↑ Rayner, M., Scarborough, P., Lobtein, P., The UK Ofcom Nutrient Profiling Model, October 2009, accessed 10/15/2014
  11. ↑ "The Bionutrient Institute - Understanding the Science… From Field to Plate". The Bionutrient Institute - Understanding the Science… From Field to Plate. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  12. ↑ "Bionutrient Food Association". Bionutrient Food Association - Nutrient Density From the Ground Up. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  13. ↑ "Meet Dan Kittredge — The Bionutrient Institute - Understanding the Science… From Field to Plate". The Bionutrient Institute - Understanding the Science… From Field to Plate. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  14. ↑ Rosier, Carl L.; Kittredge, Dan; Nainiger, Barbara; Duarte, Octavio; Austic, Greg; TerAvest, Dan (2024-01-30). "Validation of low-cost reflectometer to identify phytochemical accumulation in food crops". Scientific Reports. 14 (1): 2524. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-52713-0. ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   10827735 .
  15. ↑ "The science behind nutrient dense food in an ever-changing industrial agricultural marketplace — The Bionutrient Institute - Understanding the Science… From Field to Plate". The Bionutrient Institute - Understanding the Science… From Field to Plate. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  16. ↑ "The Bionutrient Institute - Our History — The Bionutrient Institute - Understanding the Science… From Field to Plate". The Bionutrient Institute - Understanding the Science… From Field to Plate. Retrieved 2025-01-07.

External References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.