Geller Sarah G, Clark Bridget E, Pope Lizzy, Niles Meredith T, Belarmino Emily H
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Vermont.
Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont.
J Healthy Eat Act Living. 2022 Aug 25;2(2):60-72. eCollection 2022.
Calcium is a nutrient of public health concern and commonly associated with dairy foods. In recent years, plant-based alternatives to dairy products have grown in popularity. This study examines public understanding of dietary calcium in dairy products and plant-based alternatives and explores whether knowledge is associated with product preference. In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) solicited comments on the labeling of plant-based dairy alternatives (FDA-2018-N-3522), including input on consumer understanding of the nutritional content of dairy foods and plant-based products. All 11,906 submissions were obtained and 8,052 were retained after duplicate and near-duplicate comments were removed. Comments were coded for major nutrition themes and those that mentioned calcium and were analyzed for three calcium-specific themes: knowledge and beliefs about calcium content, calcium bioavailability, and health outcomes associated with intake. Submissions were examined in relation to each commenter's preference for dairy products or plant-based alternatives. 244 unique submissions (3.0%) mentioned calcium. Over half (51.2%) of commenters who mentioned calcium preferred plant-based alternatives. Comments mentioning calcium often reflected preference. Most commenters had an accurate understanding of calcium content in dairy and plant-based products. However, several commenters-especially those who preferred plant-based alternatives-misunderstood calcium metabolism and health outcomes related to calcium. Given declining consumption of fluid dairy milk-a key source of dietary calcium-and increasing consumption of plant-based alternatives, addressing gaps in nutrition knowledge and misunderstanding related to dairy and calcium intake is critical and has implications for nutrition education and policy.
钙是一种受公众健康关注的营养素，通常与乳制品相关。近年来，乳制品的植物性替代品越来越受欢迎。本研究调查了公众对乳制品和植物性替代品中膳食钙的理解，并探讨了知识是否与产品偏好相关。2018年，美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）就植物性乳制品替代品的标签征求意见（FDA - 2018 - N - 3522），包括消费者对乳制品和植物性产品营养成分理解的相关意见。共获取了11906份意见书，在去除重复和近乎重复的意见后，保留了8052份。对主要营养主题进行编码，并对提及钙的意见进行分析，以探讨三个与钙相关的特定主题：对钙含量的知识和信念、钙的生物利用度以及与钙摄入相关的健康结果。根据每位评论者对乳制品或植物性替代品的偏好对意见书进行审查。244份独特的意见书（3.0%）提到了钙。提到钙的评论者中超过一半（51.2%）更喜欢植物性替代品。提及钙的意见往往反映了偏好。大多数评论者对乳制品和植物性产品中的钙含量有准确的理解。然而，一些评论者——尤其是那些更喜欢植物性替代品的评论者——误解了钙的代谢以及与钙相关的健康结果。鉴于液态奶（膳食钙的关键来源）的消费量下降以及植物性替代品的消费量增加，解决与乳制品和钙摄入相关的营养知识差距和误解至关重要，这对营养教育和政策具有重要意义。
