Rabenberg M, Richter A, Mensink GBM (2010): Zusammenhang von Ernährungsmustern und ausgewählten Biomarkern bei Jugendlichen
UMID: Umwelt und Mensch - Informationsdienst 4: 25-30.

Purpose: Using data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), associations between dietary patterns and biochemical biomarkers are identified.
Study design and study population: KiGGS is a representative cross-sectional study assessing children’s and adolescent’s health in Germany. The survey was conducted by the Robert Koch-Institute between May 2003 and May 2006. 17,641 children and adolescents aged 0 to 17 years took part in this survey including interviews and physical examinations. Methodology: 5,487 adolescents (2,795 boys and 2,692 girls) ages 12 to
17 answered questions on their food consumption in a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Additionally, blood samples were taken. With Principal Component Analysis, two major dietary patterns could be determined.
Within these analyses, the participants obtained a score according to the degree to which they conformed to each pattern. Based on these scores, the individuals were categorised into quartiles for sex and age groups separately. Using One-Way Analysis of Variance the adjusted and unadjusted means of the biomarkers Folate, Vitamin B12 and Homocysteine were calculated for every quartile. Results and Conclusion: Significant associations between selected biomarkers and the quartiles of the major dietary patterns were seen. This may have implications for target-group-specific preventive measures to improve nutrition among adolescents.