Mean +/- Standard Deviation Intake Values for 1-< 10-Year-Old South African Children for Application in the Assessment of the Inflammatory Potential of Their Diets Using the DII(R) Method: Developmental Research

This study aimed to develop a set of mean +/- standard deviation (SD) intake values for South African (SA) children for 36 of the 45 food parameters included in the original Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII(R)) tool. The SA food composition database contains 30 of the 45 food parameters included in the original DII(R), and a supplementary database was developed for six of the food parameters not included in the SA database. The SA child mean +/- SD intake of macronutrients, micronutrients and select flavonoids was calculated by age in years, using eight data sets from dietary surveys conducted in SA in the last three decades. A total sample of 5412 children was included in the calculation of the mean +/- SD. The current study sample was determined to be representative of 1-<10-year-old children in SA, and the plausibility of the mean intake values was confirmed by being in line with age-appropriate recommendations. Furthermore, an increase in energy, macronutrient, and most micronutrient intakes with increase in age was evident. The generated mean +/- SD values for SA children can be used for calculation of the inflammatory potential of the dietary intake of SA children in the age range of 1-<10-year-old children.