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Epidemiology

Seasonality of food groups and total energy intake: a systematic review and meta-analysis

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 70, pages 700–708 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effect of season on food intake from selected food groups and on energy intake in adults.

Subjects/Methods:

The search process was based on selecting publications listed in the following: Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase and Agris. Food frequency questionnaires, 24-h dietary recalls and food records as methods for assessment of dietary intake were used to assess changes in the consumption of 11 food groups and of energy intake across seasons. A meta-analysis was performed.

Results:

Twenty-six studies were included. Articles were divided into those reporting data on four seasons (winter, spring, summer and autumn) or on two seasons (pre-and post-harvest). Four of the studies could be utilized for meta-analysis describing changes in food consumption across four season scheme: from winter to spring fruits decreased, whereas vegetables, eggs and alcoholic beverages increased; from spring to summer vegetable consumption further increased and cereals decreased; from summer to autumn fruits and cereals increased and vegetables, meat, eggs and alcoholic beverages decreased; from autumn to winter cereals decreased. A significant association was also found between energy intake and season, for 13 studies reporting energy intake across four seasons (favors winter) and for eight studies across pre- and post-harvest seasons (favors post-harvest).

Conclusions:

The winter or the post-harvest season is associated with increased energy intake. The intake of fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, cereals and alcoholic beverages is following a seasonal consumption pattern and at least for these foods season is determinant of intake.

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Acknowledgements

‘The preparation of this paper was supported by the DEDIPAC Knowledge Hub. This work is supported by the Joint Programming Initiative ‘Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life’. The funding agencies supporting this work are as follows: Germany: Federal Ministry of Education and Research; Italy: Ministry of Education, University and Research/ Ministry of Agriculture Food and Forestry Policies; Poland: The National Centre for Research and Development and; Spain: Carlos III Institute of Health (ISCIII).'

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany

    M Stelmach-Mardas & H Boeing

  2. Helmholtz Zentrum München, München, Germany

    C Kleiser & J Linseisen

  3. Fundacion Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    I Uzhova & J L Peñalvo

  4. Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    G La Torre, R Saulle & V Colamesta

  5. Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland

    W Palys, D Lojko & A Suwalska

  6. Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany

    K Nimptsch

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  1. M Stelmach-Mardas
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Correspondence to M Stelmach-Mardas.

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Stelmach-Mardas, M., Kleiser, C., Uzhova, I. et al. Seasonality of food groups and total energy intake: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 70, 700–708 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2015.224

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