Trends in Vitamin C Consumption in the United States: 1999-2018

Low intakes of fruits and vegetables have resulted in suboptimal intakes of several micronutrients, including vitamin C. This cross-sectional study used data from 84,902 children/adults (>= 1 y) who completed a 24-h dietary recall as part of the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2018). Mean vitamin C intakes from foods/beverages were calculated as were trends in major food/beverage sources of vitamin C. Percentages below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) were estimated. Overall, mean vitamin C consumption declined by 23% (97-75 mg/d; p-value for trend < 0.001). 100% fruit juice was the leading source of vitamin C (25.6% of total or 21.7mg/d), but this declined by 48% (25-13 mg/d; p-value for trend < 0.001). Whole fruit increased among children/adolescents (+75.8%;10-17 mg/d; p-value for trend < 0.001), but not adults, while the vegetable contribution was generally unchanged. The proportion of the population below the EAR increased by 23.8% on a relative scale or 9 percentage points on an absolute scale (38.3-47.4%). Declines in vitamin C intake is driven largely by decreases in fruit juice coupled with modest increases in whole fruit. Due to associations between vitamin C intake and numerous health outcomes these trends warrant careful monitoring moving forward.

Automated summary

The study found that the decline in vitamin C intake is mainly due to a decrease in fruit juice consumption and a slight increase in whole fruit intake. While vitamin C intake increased in children/adolescents, it did not increase in adults, and the contribution from vegetables remained generally unchanged. The proportion of the population consuming vitamin C below the Estimated Average Requirement has increased.