24-Hour Dietary Recall
The 24-hour dietary recall involves participants recalling all the foods and beverages they consumed in the past 24 hours. This method is often conducted through an
interview and can be repeated on multiple days to capture variability in diet.
Advantages: Provides detailed information and can be less burdensome for participants.
Limitations: Relies on memory and may not reflect usual intake.
Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ)
The FFQ asks participants to report their usual intake of specific foods over a defined period, such as the past month or year. This method is useful for studying long-term dietary habits.
Advantages: Captures habitual diet and is cost-effective for large studies.
Limitations: Less precise than other methods and relies on participants' ability to estimate frequency and portion sizes.
Dietary Records (Food Diaries)
Participants record all foods and beverages consumed over a certain period, typically ranging from 3 to 7 days. This method provides detailed information on dietary intake.
Advantages: High accuracy and detail.
Limitations: Time-consuming and may alter eating behavior due to the recording process.
Biomarkers
Biomarkers are objective measures of nutrient intake, metabolism, or nutritional status. Common biomarkers include blood, urine, and tissue samples.
Advantages: Objective and not subject to recall bias.
Limitations: Expensive, invasive, and may not reflect long-term intake.
