Objective: To compare the diets of men from East and West Germany after the reunification under the new food market conditions in the East.
Design: Both dietary surveys were part of the third MONICA surveys in population based random samples.
Setting: City of Erfurt in the Federal State of Thuringia, East Germany (dietary survey in 1991/92) and city of Augsburg in the Federal State of Bavaria, West Germany (dietary survey in 1994/95).
Subjects: Comparable samples of 185 Erfurt vs 331 Augsburg men, aged 45-64 y.
Measures: Data on food and nutrient intakes and percentage of users of foods are derived from 3 d weighed records from Erfurt and three matching days of 7 d weighed records from Augsburg.
Results: Nutrient intakes show the pattern of a typical Western diet in both samples with 15.2 en% from protein, 39.5 en% from fat, 38.8 en% from carbohydrates and 6.2 en% from alcohol in Erfurt. Corresponding figures for Augsburg are 16.4 en%, 37.9 en%, 39.0 en% and 6.5 en%. Intake of animal protein, cholesterol, water and selected micronutrients is distinctly higher in Augsburg.
Conclusions: Dietary differences still exist, but the pattern of difference has changed. It is unclear, whether differences between East and West exceed regional differences in the West.