Investigation of the association between dietary fibre, protein and fat with Manganese content in food

Manganese deficiency may cause severe health disorders and is becoming prevalent in societies that are rapidly urbanising. Determining the Manganese contents and its relationship with the intake of protein, fibre and fats is important; which may allow people to select Manganese rich foods based on their major macronutrients. A cross-sectional study including detailed dietary assessment for two weeks, followed by proximate analysis of regularly consumed diets was conducted using 1200 adults from three different social segments as; lecturers/teachers (400), managerial employees in the private sector (400), and houses wives (400). Each social segment was assumed to elicit different lifestyles and different daily Manganese and Macronutrient intake levels. Most frequently consumed food items by them and their respective portion sizes were identified. Those were prepared using mostly practiced cooking methods and chemically analysed for proximate compositions of fat, protein, dietary fibre and Manganese contents. Regression and general liner models were used to estimate the association between protein, fibre and fat intake and Mn levels. The average daily protein, fibre and fat intakes were 53.51, 36.85 and 41.85 grams respectively. The average Manganese intake was 1.87 grams. There were significantly negative association between dietary Manganese levels and fat intake (β=-0.041, p<0.00). Increased dietary fat intake was associated with low levels of Manganese (β=-0.041, p<0.00) for all social segments. Higher protein (β=0.019, p=0.01) or fibre intake (β=0.013 p=0.002) reduced the risk of Manganese deficiency. Overall, dietary Manganese elicited a positive correlation with proteins and fibre in foods, but a negative correlation with dietary fat.