Fatty acid composition of foods as consumed and population intake in Cuba: A Total Diet Study

Fatty acid composition data reflecting foods as consumed remain limited for many populations. This study characterized fatty acid profiles and estimated population intakes within the Cuban Total Diet Study. Dietary consumption data were obtained from structured 24-h recalls conducted in 450 adults and used to aggregate 107 commonly consumed foods into 17 food groups. Fatty acids were quantified by GC-FID in 48 regional composites representing 16 lipid-containing groups from Western, Central, and Eastern Cuba. Participant-level fatty acid intakes were estimated by linking individual food-group consumption with the corresponding analytically determined composite concentrations. The method provided recoveries of 92.7–105.8%, repeatability of 1.5–3.2%, and LOQs of 0.20–0.43 mg/100 g. Estimated total fatty acid intake was 98.27 ± 2.50 g/day, comprising 38.04 ± 1.57 g/day MUFA, 31.32 ± 1.25 g/day SFA, and 27.45 ± 1.17 g/day PUFA. Fats and oils contributed 40.0% of MUFA, 48.6% of linoleic acid, and 50.4% of α-linolenic acid, whereas fish and seafood supplied 82.6% of EPA and 90.7% of DHA. EPA + DHA intake was 841 ± 87 mg/day, with regional mean estimates ranging from 781 to 975 mg/day. These analytically derived data characterize the fatty acid composition of foods as consumed and provide new information for food-composition databases, dietary surveillance, and population nutritional assessment in Cuba.