A new study from the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) indicates an association between higher consumption of foods containing live microbes and improved diet quality among children and adults in France. The analysis utilized dietary information gathered during the third French Individual and National Food Consumption Survey (INCA3), conducted between 2014 and 2015.

The study included 1,775 children aged four years and older and 2,121 adults between 18 and 79 years old, all residing in mainland France. Dietary intake was measured through three non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls, with participants aged 15-79 self-reporting via trained professionals, while caregivers assisted children under 15 with open-ended food records. Foods were categorized into low, medium, or high levels of presumed live microbe content based on the French Information Center on Food Quality (CIQUAL) database. Diet quality was assessed using the Program National Nutrition Santé Guideline Score 2 (sPNNS-GS2), the Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR) for nutrient adequacy, and the Mean Excess Ratio (MER) to reflect excessive intake of sodium, saturated fat, and free sugar.

The findings showed that 97.7% of children and 98.4% of adults consumed foods with medium or high live-microbe content. The average daily combined consumption of these foods was 166.8 grams for children and 215.9 grams for adults. Older adults consumed statistically higher amounts of both medium- and high-live-microbe foods compared to younger adults, and higher consumption of these foods was linked to higher income and socio-economic status. No statistically significant differences were observed concerning sex or BMI.

Medium- and high-microbe foods contributed 8.5% of daily energy intake for children and 10.7% for adults. Adults obtained over 20% of their daily calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, myristic acid, lauric acid, saturated fat, and riboflavin from these foods. Children received substantial amounts of vitamin D, calcium, myristic fatty acid, and vitamin A from the same food categories. The highest consumption groups for both children and adults consumed more fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Conversely, these groups consumed fewer mixed dishes, sweetened foods, salty and fatty products, dairy desserts, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Specifically, adults in the highest consumption group also ate more whole-grain cereals, fish, and crustaceans, while children in this group consumed more pulses.

Higher intake of medium- and high-microbe foods was associated with increased sPNNS-GS2 and MAR values, indicating better overall diet quality and nutrient adequacy. It was also associated with lower MER values, suggesting reduced intake of excessive nutrients. Yogurt and cheese were the most frequently consumed fermented foods, while items like kefir, tofu, miso, sauerkraut, and fermented condiments were rarely consumed. Higher medium- and high-microbe food intake was also linked to higher sodium exposure. The study was cross-sectional, relying on self-reported data, and therefore cannot establish causal relationships between live microbe consumption and diet quality or health outcomes.