New Approach for Updating Dietary Surveys, Incorporating Data for Unique Populations and Conducting Dietary Exposure Estimation and Dietary Risk Assessment for Blended Diets Using New LifeLine Software Tools

Click here to view the 2 page LifeLine™ Group / EPA announcement

The need for this New Approach was driven by 2 main issues. The first is that it is virtually impossible to achieve a full library of contemporary, comprehensive and representative dietary intake data for all population groups. Dietary intake surveys are expensive to conduct, and they age quickly given the dynamics of the food industry (global suppliers, restaurants, processed food products, ingredient substitutes, etc.). The second, which has been recognized by regulatory jurisdictions, is the need for food consumption databases that reflect unique diets. Although there is an abundance of information about diets and food sources, including information about what foods are eaten, by whom, in what seasons, the probability that such foods are eaten and when eaten, and how much is consumed. Some information is seasonally specific and/or age specific. Unfortunately these data usually exist in atypical formats that are not amenable to use in existing modelling software that assesses exposure and risk.

The LifeLine™ Group has created two new software tools that allow updating of dietary surveys, incorporating data for unique or atypical populations and conducting dietary exposure estimation and dietary risk assessment for these diets as well as for blended diets. The first is a stand-alone software tool called the Dietary Record Generator™ (DRG™) which can take available dietary information and convert it into comprehensive dietary intake profiles. The resulting profile databases that are generated by the DRG™ can then be used as if they were generated from a conventional survey such as the US Department of Agriculture’s Continuing Survey of Food Intakes for Individuals (CSFII). The CSFII is most representative of a commercial diet although there is some provision for home grown or sport foods.

The second new software tool The LifeLine™ Group has developed is the LifeLine Customized Dietary Assessment Software™ (CDAS™ ). This software allows the user to calculate dietary exposure and risks from unique diets. Another important feature of the CDAS™ is that it is able to blend the new dietary information from the DRG™ database with the dietary information contained in the CSFII database and evaluate the dietary exposure and risk of the chemicals that are contained in the blended diet.

The first application of these new software tools has been to take information as described above and create distributional data about food consumption for ethnic and cultural sub-populations in Alaska, which can then be applied in deterministic and probabilistic models. The DRG™ software creates a simulated file of dietary records, each record being a single day’s diet for a single person of a given age in a given season. These records can then be sub-divided according to the selected age group categories.

Using the DRG™ software, excellent food consumption databases have been constructed from a diverse array of information about dietary habits, food availability, and economics of the populations for whom there are no detailed food consumption surveys. These profiles and the basis upon which they were built are compiled in a comprehensive document entitled The Compendium of Alaska Traditional and Subsistence Dietary Files. Because the development of these Alaskan databases involves a degree of professional judgement in applying extrapolation factors, particularly where data about ethnic and cultural diets are sparse, a peer review system was applied which called on experts on the respective Alaskan diets to examine the underlying assumptions. The LifeLine™ Group has had the unique opportunity to work with many dedicated people from different communities and cultures in Alaska who combined their efforts to create a database that represents a new way of utilizing the best available information about the harvesting, preparation and consumption of traditional foods by the peoples in the tribal communities of Alaska. Data in a variety of formats and related descriptive information were collected and reviewed by persons who are experts based on their academic credentials, experience with the subject matter and/or practical knowledge of the dietary patterns of the communities, food sources, food distribution, preparation and consumption.

The Dietary Record Generator™ and the Customized Dietary Assessment Software™ address two issues of major concern in dietary risk assessment. The DRG™ provides a cost effective mechanism for updating existing survey databases to reflect changes in food consumption, as well as being able to generate food consumption databases for many groups, including other ethnic and cultural groups or people on unique or atypical diets such as vegetarian diets, ethnic diets, low-carbohydrate diets, diets high in any specific food of interest or high in fortified foods. The CDAS™ can then be used to assess dietary exposure and risks in any of these diets, or it can be used to blend these unique diets with the standard commercial diets as represented by the CSFII in whatever proportions are appropriate.