Survey on dietary intake of phytosterols in middle-aged and elderly populations in Guangzhou

Objective To investigate the dietary intake of phytosterols in middle-aged and elderly residents in Guangzhou.Methods The dietary data were collected from 599 middle-aged and elderly residents (222 men and 377 women) recruited by stratified cluster random sampling in Guangzhou.All the subjects were surveyed using Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ).The dietary intake of phytosterols was estimated using Chinese data of phytosterol composition of a range of foods.Results The dietary intake of total phytosterols was 336.36 ±142.88 mg/d,which included β-sitosterol 218.53 ± 95.20 mg/d,campesterol 48.33 ± 23.69 mg/d,stigmasterol 36.40 ± 14.38 mg/d,β-sitostanol 30.65 ± 13.62 mg/d,and campestanol 4.67 ±2.77 mg/d.Women had a significantly higher intake of phytosterols than men [ (345.45 ±141.06) mg/d vs.(320.93 ±144.95) mg/d,P=0.0425].Edible oil,vegetable,cereal,and fruit were the four major food sources of phytosterols,representing 37.2％,19.8％,18.5％,and 12.5％ of the total phytosterols intake respectively.Energy-adjusted intake of phytosterols was (42.94 ± 15.66) mg/1000 kJ,and women had a significantly higher intake than men [ (46.04 ±15.90) mg/1000 kJ vs.(37.69 ± 13.76) mg/1000 kJ,P =0.0000 ].Conclusion Among the middle-aged and elderly residents in Guangzhou,women have higher phytosterols intake than men. Key words: Phytosterols; Diet; Intake