Volume 91, Issue 6, June (2004), pp. 1005-1011 © The Author 2004
doi:10.1079/BJN20041130

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Dietary sources of vitamin C, vitamin E and specific carotenoids in Spain

Reina García-Closas¹, Antonio Berenguer¹, María José Tormo², María José Sánchez³, José R. Quirós⁴, Carmen Navarro², Rosario Arnaud³, Miren Dorronsoro⁵, María Dolores Chirlaque², Aurelio Barricarte⁶, Eva Ardanaz⁶, Pilar Amiano⁵, Carmen Martinez³, Antonio Agudo¹ and Carlos A. González^1
1Institut Català d'Oncologia, 08907 , Barcelona, Spain
²Consejería de Sanidad y Consumo, 30008 , Murcia, Spain
³Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, 18080 , Granada, Spain
⁴Consejería de Sanidad y Servicios Sociales de Asturias, 33001 , Oviedo, Spain
⁵Dirección de Salud de Guipúzkoa, 20013 San , Sebastián, Spain
⁶Departamento de Salud de Navarra, 31003 , Pamplona, Spain

 (Received 14 August 2003–Revised 27 January 200–Accepted 16 February 2004)

A cross-sectional study was conducted within the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation in Cancer and Nutrition to assess the principal food sources of vitamin C, vitamin E, α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, lutein, β-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin in an adult Spanish population. The study included 41 446 healthy volunteers (25 812 women and 15 634 men), aged 29–69 years, from three Spanish regions in the north (Asturias, Navarra and Guipúzcoa) and two in the south (Murcia and Granada). Usual food intake was estimated by personal interview through a computerized version of a dietary history questionnaire. Foods that provided at least two-thirds of the studied nutrients were: fruits (mainly oranges) (51 %) and fruiting vegetables (mainly tomato and sweet pepper) (20 %) for vitamin C; vegetable oils (sunflower and olive) (40 %), non-citrus fruits (10 %), and nuts and seeds (8 %) for vitamin E; root vegetables (carrots) (82 %) for α-carotene; green leafy (28 %), root (24 %) and fruiting vegetables (22 %) for β-carotene; fruiting vegetables (fresh tomato) (72 %) for lycopene; green leafy vegetables (64 %) for lutein; citrus fruits (68 %) for β-cryptoxanthin; citrus fruits (43 %) and green leafy vegetables (20 %) for zeaxanthin. In conclusion, the main food sources of nutrients with redox properties have been identified in a Mediterranean country. This could provide an insight into the interpretation of epidemiological studies investigating the role of diet in health and disease.

Keywords:
Antioxidants, Mediterranean diet, Spain, Food sources

Abbreviations:
EPIC, European Prospective Investigation in Cancer and Nutrition