(P14-040-23) Sources of Protein Intake by U.S. Population, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2015–2018

Objectives: To examine consumption patterns from various protein sources for the U.S. population.

Methods: In this study, we analyzed the daily average protein consumption from major protein contributing food groups and subgroups: grains (whole and non-whole); meat (beef, poultry, seafood, cured, organ, eggs, soy, nuts/seeds); dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese); legumes (beans/peas); and vegetables (dark green, red/orange, starchy, others). Study subjects (n=18,472) were U.S. population aged 1 year and older with reliable day 1 consumption data (n=317,815) from combined National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 (NHANES 2015-2018). Amount of protein intake was calculated based on the ratio of food groups and subgroups from Food Patterns Equivalents Databases, 2015-2018.

Results: On average, meat (37.2 g) and grains (22.7 g) followed by dairy (15.8 g) were the top contributors to total protein intake (82.4 g). Within the subgroups of each food group, non-whole grains (19.6 g), poultry (11.1 g), milk (8.8 g), and starchy vegetables (1.6 g) were the highest contributors. Plant-based protein (32.7 g) contributed a lesser proportion (40%) of the total protein intake compared to animal-derived protein.

Conclusions: A greater understanding of protein consumption patterns in the U.S. population can aid in the development of nutrition recommendations and education messages related to healthy dietary patterns.

Funding Sources: None