Nutrient Intake Evaluation of Male and Female Cadets at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York

摘要

Nutrient intakes of male and female cadets were evaluated during the 1979-80 academic year as part of a study to determine factors contributing to weight gain in the West Point cadets. Five consecutive days of dietary data were collected from 136 males and 54 females using the diary-interview technique. Significant differences in total nutrient intake were found between sexes but not between classess. The mean daily energy intake was 3738 kcal for the male cadets and 2454 kcal for the female cadets. For both sexes, the average percentage of energy from protein was 13%; from fat, 38%; from carbohydrate, 46%; and from alcohol, 3%. Only 18% of the males and 11% of the females consumed less than the 35% fat calories recommended by the MRDA. Sucrose provided 14% of the daily calories in contrast to the 10% recommended by the MRDA, and dietary fiber intake was low. Overall, cadets received adequate vitamin and mineral nutrition with the exception of iron for the female cadets. Twenty-six percent of the females had low daily iron intakes. There were some significant differences in nutrient density between weekday and weekend day dining hall intakes, but overall nutrient density of dining hall intake was adequate for both sexes. The exceptions were iron density on weekdays for the females and calcium density on weekdays for 17-18 year old cadets of both sexes.