What Americans eat is driving global nutrition research
The "What We Eat in America" program has quietly become one of the most influential data sources in modern nutrition science, fueling research, surveillance, and policy evaluation across the globe. A recent study examined the extent to which the program's nutrient data have been reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that the program's data have been widely used in research, with contributions from researchers worldwide. The number of studies using the program's data has grown fourfold over 10 years, with a focus on nutrients with established roles in chronic disease risk and public health guidelines.
The program's data are used to support public health policy, develop nutrition guidelines, and evaluate food programs. The Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) forms the foundation for determining nutrient values, and the program's data are used to analyze dietary intake data from the program, NHANES, FNDDS, and the Automated Multiple-Pass Method (AMPM).
The study included all nutrient components estimated in FNDDS, except for added vitamin E and vitamin B12. The review included publications that analyzed the U.S. population or its subgroups using the program's data. The number of studies using the program's data has grown significantly, with 12,589 studies appearing in the initial search and 2,203 studies meeting the inclusion criteria.
Energy was cited in 78% of the research, and nutrients commonly reported in at least a quarter of the publications included total saturated fatty acids (SFAs), sodium, protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), dietary fiber, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), total fat, and carbohydrates. The least frequently reported nutrients were individual SFAs and MUFAs, as well as theobromine.
Researchers from 60 countries across six continents contributed to these studies. Approximately 18% of the publications had authors from multiple countries. Most studies included authors from North America (64%), followed by Asia (37%), Europe (9%), South America (3%), Oceania (2%), and Africa (1%).
The study also found that 31% of the publications used one of 38 dietary indices, with the USDA’s Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and the Dietary Inflammatory Index being the most frequently used. The study highlights the ongoing importance of the program's data in nutrition research and the need for continued improvements in data accessibility, accuracy, and granularity.
