CDC Nutrition Biomarkers Study Offers Public Health Insights

Key Points

• • The upcoming CDC Nutrition Biomarkers Report analyzes nearly 24 years of NHANES nutrition data.
  • The report includes 131 blood and urine nutritional biomarkers from Americans aged 1 year and older.
  • New biomarkers include omega-3 index, vitamin B12 status, trans fats, zinc, copper, caffeine metabolites, and RBC fatty acids.
  • The data may help clinicians, researchers, and policymakers monitor nutritional deficiencies and population health trends.
  • Supplement users and nonusers are compared separately for the first time.

• Explore All CME Conferences & Online Courses in Clinical Nutrition and Public Health

Why the CDC Nutrition Biomarkers Report Matters for Public Health

The upcoming Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Nutrition Biomarkers Report offers one of the most comprehensive snapshots of nutritional health ever compiled in the United States. Drawing from nearly 24 years of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, the report transforms blood and urine biomarker findings into actionable public health insights for clinicians, nurses, researchers, and healthcare policymakers.

Published in Current Developments in Nutrition, the overview highlights how the 2026 report consolidates biochemical nutrition data collected between 1999 and August 2023. The NHANES program combines dietary intake information with interviews, physical examinations, laboratory testing, and lifestyle data, creating a large-scale nutrition surveillance system rarely matched globally.

The report covers up to 131 nutritional biomarkers in Americans aged 1 year and older. Earlier CDC reports assessed significantly fewer indicators, making the 2026 edition one of the broadest nutrition monitoring efforts to date.

What New Nutrition Biomarkers Are Included in the NHANES Report?

A major highlight of the report is the addition of several advanced nutritional biomarkers linked to cardiovascular health, metabolic status, and dietary exposure.

Newly included measurements feature:

• Combined vitamin B12 status (cB-12)
• Omega-3 index for heart health assessment
• Copper and zinc blood levels
• Individual and total trans-fatty acids
• Serum and red blood cell folate forms
• Caffeine metabolites
• Twenty-one red blood cell fatty acids

These biomarkers provide clinicians and nutrition researchers with expanded insight into micronutrient status, dietary quality, inflammation, and chronic disease risk patterns across demographic groups.

The report also introduces separate analyses for dietary supplement users and nonusers. This distinction may improve understanding of how supplementation influences nutritional adequacy and biomarker variability in the US population.

How NHANES Nutrition Data Supports Clinical and Research Decision-Making

The CDC report includes more than 2,700 tables and 500 figures that summarize biomarker trends by age, sex, race, ethnicity, and survey cycles. Longitudinal trend analysis allows healthcare professionals to identify emerging deficiencies, monitor intervention outcomes, and evaluate population-level nutrition changes over time.

Researchers describe NHANES as a “gold standard” nutrition surveillance platform because it connects biochemical nutrition data with medical history, anthropometric measurements, sociodemographic factors, and lifestyle behaviors.

For healthcare providers, the report may support clinical interpretation of national reference intervals while helping identify at-risk patient populations. Public health leaders may also use the findings to guide nutrition policies, prevention programs, and chronic disease management strategies.

Explore All CME Conferences & Online Courses in Clinical Nutrition and Public Health

As nutrition-related diseases continue to affect healthcare systems worldwide, the CDC Nutrition Biomarkers Report provides an important evidence base for future dietary guidance and population health initiatives.

Source:

The American Society for Nutrition