Contribution of Different Food Types to Vitamin A Intake in the Chinese Diet

Abstract

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble micronutrient that is essential for human health. In this study, the daily vitamin A intake of Chinese residents was evaluated by investigating the vitamin A content of various foods. The results show that the dietary intake of vitamin A in common foods was 460.56 ugRAE/day, which is significantly lower than the recommended dietary reference intake of vitamin A (800 ugRAE/day for adult men and 700 ugRAE/day for adult women). Vegetables contributed the most to daily vitamin A dietary intake, accounting for 54.94% of vitamin A intake (253.03 ugRAE/day), followed by eggs, milk, aquatic products, meat, fruit, legumes, coarse cereals, and potatoes. Therefore, an increase in the vitamin A content of vegetables and the fortification of vegetable oils with vitamin A are effective ways to increase vitamin A intake to meet the recommended dietary guidelines in China. The assessment results support the design of fortified foods.