Mineral contents in model diet samples for different age groups.

Model diet samples of eight groups (3, 16, 40, and 70 years old for both sexes), were analyzed for sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, aluminum, copper, barium, nickel and molybdenum by using inductively-coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Mineral intakes for 3 year olds were lower than those of other age groups because total food consumption was less. The intake of major elements, Na, K, P, Ca, and Mg, varied within about 20% of each other. The intake of other elements except aluminum fluctuated within 30% or more of each other. For most of the elements studied, the mineral intakes of 40-year-old males agreed within 16% with results previously obtained by a duplicated portion study.