Assessment of dietary vitamin A intake (retinol, α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin) and its sources in the National Survey of Dietary Intake in Spain (2009-2010)

The aim of this study is to assess the intake of the individual components of vitamin A and major dietary sources in the Spaniards using data on food consumption from Spanish National Dietary Intake Survey (2009-2010). A 24-h dietary recall, 3-day diet diary and a software application that includes HPLC analytical data were used. Average dietary vitamin A intake is 716.4 mu g retinol equivalents (RE), which is supplied as retinol (57.9%RE) and as provitamin-A carotenoids (42.1%RE). beta-Carotene represents 71.9% of provitamin-A carotenoids, beta-cryptoxanthin 15.3%, alpha-carotene 12.8%. Red- and orange-colored fruits and vegetables are major contributors of provitamin-A (1587 mu g/day). Spanish diet covers the dietary reference on the intake for vitamin A, provided mainly by foods of animal origin. The main contributors to the intake of provitamin-A carotenoids are carrots, tomatoes, spinach and oranges. Data on the intake of individual components of vitamin A contribute to improving our understanding of the relationship between diet and health.