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  • Original Article
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Dietary intake of the water-soluble vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12 and C in 10 countries in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 63, pages S122–S149 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives:

To describe the intake of vitamins thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cobalamine) and C (ascorbic acid) and their food sources among 27 centres in 10 countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.

Methods:

Between 1995 and 2000, 36 034 persons aged between 35 and 74 years were administered a standardized 24-h dietary recall using a computerized interview software programme (EPIC-SOFT). Intakes of the four B vitamins and vitamin C were estimated using the standardized EPIC Nutrient Database (ENDB). Mean intakes were adjusted for age and weighted by season and day of recall.

Results:

Intake of B vitamins did not vary considerably between centres, except in the UK health-conscious cohort, in which substantially higher intakes of thiamine and lower intakes of vitamin B12 were reported compared with other centres. Overall, meat was the most important contributor to the B vitamins in all centres except in the UK health-conscious group. Vitamin C showed a clear geographical gradient, with higher intakes in the southern centres as compared with the northern ones; this was more pronounced in men than in women. Vegetables and fruits were major contributors to vitamin C in all centres, but juices and potatoes were also important sources in the northern centres.

Conclusions:

This study showed no major differences across centres in the mean intakes of B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, B6, B12), whereas a tendency towards a north–south gradient was observed for vitamin C.

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Acknowledgements

The work described in this paper was carried out with the financial support of the European Commission: Public Health and Consumer Protection Directorate 1993–2004; Research Directorate-General 2005; Ligue contre le Cancer (France); Société 3M (France); Mutuelle Générale de l’Education Nationale; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM); Institut Gustave Roussy; German Cancer Aid; German Cancer Research Center; German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; Danish Cancer Society; Health Research Fund (FIS) of the Spanish Ministry of Health; Spanish Regional Governments of Andalucía, Asturias, Basque Country, Murcia and Navarra and the Catalan Institute of Oncology; and ISCIII RETIC (RD06/0020), Spain; Cancer Research UK; Medical Research Council, UK; the Stroke Association, UK; British Heart Foundation; Department of Health, UK; Food Standards Agency, UK; the Wellcome Trust, UK; Greek Ministry of Health; Hellenic Health Foundation; Italian Association for Research on Cancer; Italian National Research Council, Regione Sicilia (Sicilian government); Associazione Iblea per la Ricerca Epidemiologica—ONLUS (Hyblean association for epidemiological research, NPO); Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport; Dutch Prevention Funds; LK Research Funds; Dutch ZON (Zorg Onderzoek Nederland); World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF); Swedish Cancer Society; Swedish Research Council; Regional Government of Skane and the County Council of Vasterbotten, Sweden; Norwegian Cancer Society; the Norwegian Research Council and the Norwegian Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation. We thank Sarah Somerville, Nicole Suty and Karima Abdedayem for assistance with editing and Kimberley Bouckaert and Heinz Freisling for technical assistance.

Author information

Author notes

  1. P Ferrari

    Present address: 25Current address: Data Collection and Exposure Unit (DATEX), European Food Safety Authority, Parma, Italy.,

  2. J Linseisen

    Present address: 26Current address: Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre Munich, Neuherberg, Germany.,

  3. S Bingham: The author is deceased.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark

    A Olsen & J Halkjær

  2. Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    C H van Gils & P H M Peeters

  3. Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition, Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Germany

    B Buijsse & C Weikert

  4. National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    H Verhagen & M C Ocké

  5. Lifestyle and Cancer Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France

    M Jenab

  6. Inserm ERI 20, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France

    M C Boutron-Ruault, M Touvier & M Niravong

  7. Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden

    U Ericson

  8. AFSSA (French Food Safety Agency), DERNS/PASER, Maisons-Alfort, France

    M Touvier

  9. Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    M Waaseth & G Skeie

  10. University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, UK

    K T Khaw

  11. Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    R Travis

  12. Dietary Exposure Assessment Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France

    P Ferrari & N Slimani

  13. Andalusian School of Public Health, Granada and CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain

    M J Sanchez

  14. Unit of Nutrition, Environment and Cancer, Cancer Epidemiology Research Programme, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Barcelona, Spain

    A Agudo

  15. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aalborg Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark

    K Overvad

  16. Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany

    J Linseisen

  17. Institute for Scientific Interchange Foundation, Turin, Italy

    C Sacerdote

  18. Department of Preventive and Predictive Medicine, Nutritional Epidemiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy

    A Evangelista

  19. Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece

    D Zylis & K Tsiotas

  20. Department of Surgery, Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden

    J Manjer

  21. Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    B van Guelpen

  22. Department of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care, Imperial College, London, UK

    E Riboli

  23. Diet and Cancer Group, MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge, UK

    S Bingham

  24. Department of Public Health and Primary Care, MRC Centre for Nutritional Epidemiology in Cancer Prevention and Survival, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    S Bingham

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  1. A Olsen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Olsen.

Additional information

Guarantor: A Olsen.Contributors: AO conducted the statistical analysis, prepared tables and wrote the paper, taking into account comments from all co-authors. NS was the overall coordinator of this project and of the EPIC Nutrient Database (ENDB) project. JH, CG, BB, HV, MJ, MB and UE were members of the writing group and gave input on the statistical analysis, drafting of the article and interpretation of results. The other co-authors were local EPIC collaborators who participated in the collection of dietary and other data and in the ENDB project. ER is the overall coordinator of the EPIC study. All co-authors provided comments and suggestions on the article and approved the final version.

Appendix

Appendix

Table A1a, Table A1b, Table A1c, Table A1d, Table A1e

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Olsen, A., Halkjær, J., van Gils, C. et al. Dietary intake of the water-soluble vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12 and C in 10 countries in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Eur J Clin Nutr 63 (Suppl 4), S122–S149 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2009.78

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