Modelling the public health benefits of fibre fortification in the Chinese population through food reformulation

Abstract

Objectives Various studies have highlighted how consuming adequate dietary fibre (DF) foods could confer multiple potential health benefits to humans, though data suggested that the average intake of the population is below the recommendations. The aim of this study, which involved probabilistic, mathematical and statistical modelling, was to understand, for the first time, how fibre fortification in a broad array of food categories could impact the diet and health status of Chinese consumers.Design A simulation-based approach was used to examine the potential impact of fibre fortification. The China Health and Nutrition Survey dataset was used to evaluate intakes of DF together with a dietary intake mathematical model. Commercially manufactured foods and beverages eligible for fibre fortification were identified and a total of 296 food and beverages were selected for fibre fortification calculation. Foods and beverages eligible for fibre fortification and the concentration of fibre used at intervention were identified based on Chinese legislations and regulations of nutrition label claims. Populations who meet the dietary reference values of fibre fortification have their health outcomes such as weight, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes risk quantified prefibre and postfibre reformulation as per published studies.Results The simulated fibre fortification intervention model has shown that the mean DF intake increased by 13.28%, from 12.8 g/day of baseline to 14.5 g/day, leading to an increase of 48% (from 6.85% to 10.13%) and 54% (from 14.22% to 21.84%) of the adult and children population, respectively, achieving the recommended fibre guidelines. Additionally, 234 diabetes cases per day (85 340 cases per year) as well as 73 065 deaths secondary to CVD could also potentially be averted or delayed with the increase of DF intake via fibre fortification.Conclusions This study provides a practical application implicating the potential public health benefits that could be achieved with food product reformulation.