Assessing the Nutrient Adequacy in China's Food Supply from 1965 to 2018

Adequacy and Distribution Equity of Nutrition Supplies across China

Procuring food enriched with diverse nutrients is pivotal for maintaining a robust immune system. However, the food system is now unprecedentedly globalized and faces challenges arising from climate change, pandemics, and political unrest. This study aims to illuminate the gap in exploring the adequacy and distribution equity of nutrition supplies in response to potential trade fluctuations and restrictions on agrifood within China's local agriculture endowments. Also, it seeks to identify the role of trade in contributing to these indices. Accordingly, we analyzed the distribution of nutrients in agrifood categories from production to consumption and assessed the adequacy and distribution equity of corresponding available nutrition supply from the local food provision system in terms of meeting residents' nutritional requirements, across China, and compared with those in the practical market. The local self-supply system showed that 12 out of 31 provinces have difficulty achieving an iron supply with 11% to 108% deficiencies. Except for iron, 52% (folate)-90% (vitamin B12) of agricultural output was available for diet provisioning nationwide. While food trade emerges as a crucial factor in enhancing secure and equitable nutrition supply, risks associated with micronutrient deficiencies necessitate careful consideration in current global circumstances. Our analysis explored a regional pool of nutrient information in supplements to the conventional food profile in China and could implicate better knowledge toward healthier food supplies and tailored improvements for achieving a resilient nutrition supply.

Spatial Distribution and Temporal Trends of Dietary Niacin Intake in Chinese Residents ≥ 5 Years of Age between 1991 and 2018

Limited knowledge exists on trends in niacin consumption and the prevalence of inadequate intakes in China. Understanding trends and the spatial distribution of the prevalence of inadequate niacin intake is crucial to identifying high-risk areas and sub-populations. The dietary intakes of niacin between 1991 and 2018 were analyzed using the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data. The estimated average requirement cut point was applied to estimate inadequacy. The geographic information system's ordinary kriging method was used to estimate the spatial distribution of the prevalence of inadequate niacin intakes. However, between 1991 and 2018, the prevalence of inadequate niacin intake increased from 13.00% to 28.40% in females and from 17.75% to 29.46% in males. Additionally, the geographically significant clusters of high and low prevalence were identified and remained stable over almost three decades. The high prevalence of insufficient niacin intake was more pronounced in Henan and Shandong over 27 years. Further, effective and tailored nutrition interventions are required to address inadequate niacin intake in China.

Correlation between Metabolite of Prostaglandin E2 and the incidence of colorectal adenomas

Colorectal cancer is a common malignancy, and the incidence and mortality rates continue to rise. An important factor in the emergence of inflammation-induced colorectal carcinogenesis is elevated cyclooxygenase-2. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE₂) over-production is frequently equated with cyclooxygenase-2 gene over-expression. PGE₂ can be assessed by measuring the level of prostaglandin's main metabolite, PGE-M, in urine. Colorectal adenoma is a precancerous lesion that can lead to colorectal cancer. We conducted research to evaluate the association between urinary levels of the PGE-M and the risk of colorectal adenomas. In a western Chinese population, we identified 152 cases of adenoma and 152 controls patients without polyps. Adenoma cases were categorized into control, low-risk and high-risk groups. There was no significant change in PGE-M levels, between the control group and the low-risk adenoma group. In the high-risk group, the PGE-M levels were 23% higher than the control group. When compared to people with the lowest urine PGE-M levels (first quartile), people with greater urinary PGE-M levels had a higher chance of developing high-risk colorectal adenomas, with an adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.65 (0.76-3.57) in the fourth quartile group, (p= 0.013). We conclude urinary PGE-M is associated with the risk of developing high-risk adenomas. Urinary PGE-M level may be used as a non-invasive indicator for estimating cancer risk.

Spatial Differences of Nutrient Adequacy in Coastal Areas of China

Ensuring nutrient adequacy for all is a common goal of the international community, but spatial difference is one of the barriers to its development. Exploring nutrient adequacy in coastal areas of China can help regions where food production systems and economic development systems are under mutual stress to reduce nutritional disparities and improve nutrition levels. This paper used the transformation food-to-nutrient model to calculate nutrient production and nutrient consumption in 11 coastal provinces of China and analyzed their spatial patterns, after which spatial differences in nutrient adequacy (including energy, protein and fat) were analyzed. The results showed that nutrient production and nutrient consumption in coastal areas of China showed significant spatial differences, in which nutrient production was mainly concentrated in land food, and the three provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu and Hebei contributed more. Guangdong had the highest nutrient consumption; in contrast, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Hainan had the lowest consumption. Nutrient adequacy was not optimistic, with fat being particularly significant, and nutrient surplus quantity was mainly concentrated in Shandong and Jiangsu and nutrient deficiency quantity was mainly concentrated in Guangdong. Overall, the study area had adequate levels of protein and was deficient in energy and fat levels, with surplus or shortage of 2.41 million tonnes, 2620 billion kcal and 9.97 million tonnes, respectively.

Usual Intake of Micronutrients and Prevalence of Inadequate Intake among Chinese Adults: Data from CNHS 2015-2017

Previous studies have used the traditional average-value method to calculate the usual dietary intake of a population, but the results may be biased due to the measurement errors. The aim of this study was to provide an assessment of the usual micronutrient intake and estimate the prevalence of inadequate intake among Chinese adults. Data from the Chinese Nutrition and Health Surveillance 2015−2017 as well as a total of 72,231 subjects aged 18 years and older were included in the analysis. The 24 h recall method combined with the condiment weighing method were used for three consecutive days to collect daily food and condiments intake. The daily intake of 16 micronutrients was calculated based on the Chinese Food Component Tables. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) method was used to estimate the usual intake of micronutrients, and the prevalence of inadequate intake was estimated using the estimated average requirement (EAR) cut-point method. The results showed that, except for sodium, copper, iron (only for males), vitamin E, and phosphorus, the usual intake of micronutrients in Chinese adults was low, and the prevalence of inadequate intake ranged from 38.67 to 97.63%. The prevalence of inadequate calcium and riboflavin intake was more than 90%, and the proportion of individuals with a usual intake of thiamine, vitamin A, potassium, and selenium below EAR also reached 80%. Manganese, magnesium, vitamin C, and zinc were potentially deficient micronutrients, with the prevalence of inadequate intake ranging from 38.67% to 77.09%. However, usual sodium intake was extremely high with an average of 5139.61 mg/day, and only a quarter of Chinese adults were below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended value. For most micronutrients, the usual dietary intake declined with age and the prevalence of inadequate intake increased with age. Except for zinc, vitamin A, and B-vitamins, the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies was higher in females than in males in the same age group (p < 0.05). Therefore, Chinese adults do not receive enough micronutrients. Effective nutrition supplementary strategies and measures are needed to address these problems.

Food and Grain Consumption Per Capita in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Implications for Conservation

Background: Grain security is crucial for social stability and ecosystem conservation regionally and globally, and it is particularly concerned widely in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) due to its high altitude and harsh climate for agriculture. Method: In this paper, we calculated and analyzed per capita food and grain consumption, including direct grain consumption, grain for fodder, industry consumption, seeds consumption, and wastage consumption and its changes in the QTP during 1995–2019. Results: The results showed that (1) in 2019, the average food consumption per capita was 333.35 kg, was stable since 1995. The dietary structure of residents was composed of direct grain consumption (44.15%), meat (10.72%), and milk (6.94%). The consumption of meat and milk was higher than the national average. (2) The average daily intake of energy and protein, animal protein, and the ratio of high-quality protein and fat energy were 2156.21 kcal·d⁻¹, 73.53 g·d⁻¹, 23.06 g·d⁻¹, 38.32%, and 27.77% in 2019. Their changes were −342.98 kcal·d⁻¹, −8.91 g·d⁻¹, 11.16 g·d⁻¹, 18.37%, and 11.08%, respectively. (3) The corresponding grain consumption per capita was 284.90 kg·a⁻¹ in 1995, 262.19 kg·a⁻¹ in 2010, and then remained stable until 2019. Conclusion: The study suggested that food consumption per capital was guaranteed at the well-off level since 2010, and food and dietary structure of residents were corresponding to physical geographic and climatic environment in the QTP. The conflict between food security and the ecosystem conservation can be managed without scarifying nature as the total grain consumption was stable since 2010, and the yield per unit area and total grain yield were both increasing since 2003 for agricultural condition improved in the QTP.