Ascorbic Acid Nutrition of Some College Students

Abstract

At the state colleges of Idaho, Montana, Orgeon, Utah and Washington, the plasma ascorbic acid values were measured in 471 women and 342 men students on two nonconsecutive mornings. In each college, there was tested the same percentage of total students boarding in dormitories, fraternities or sororities, cooperative houses, at home or in boarding houses, and those preparing their own meals in bachelor quarters. A record was also kept of the academic classification of each subject. Of these individuals, 75 women were studied at Montana, 78 women and 79 men at Oregon, 151 women and 104 men at Utah, 167 women and 126 men at Washington, and 33 men at Idaho. The ascrobic acid content of blood plasma was determined according to the micromethod of either Farmer and Abt or Mindlin and Butler, using the photoelectric colorimeter. From the data obtained, it was found that 23.8% of the women and 7.3% of the men had plasma levels of 1.0 mg. ascorbic acid per 100 ml. or more; 26.3% of the women and 16.4% of the men had values between 0.8 and 0.99 mg.; 42.3% of the women and 49.4% of the men were in the group from 0.4 to 0.79 mg., and 7.6% of the women and 26.9% of the men in the lowest group having less than 0.4 mg. per 100 ml. The mean plasma value for the men was significantly lower than that for the women. Among the different colleges, the women subjects at Montana and Washington showed plasma ascrobic acid values significantly higher than those at Oregon and Utah, while the men studied at Washington had plasma values significantly higher than those at Oregon or Idaho, and the mean for the Utah men was close to the mean for all men subjects. In the different living groups, women eating in cooperative houses had a higher mean ascorbic acid plasma value than any of the other groups, while those eating at home or in boarding houses had a mean value higher than those in dormitories or in bachelor quarters. The men eating at home or in boarding houses had ascorbic acid values significantly higher than the mean for all men. Of the academic classes, the mean plasma ascorbic acid values of freshmen and junior women were lower than the mean for all women, while among the men, the mean value for seniors was higher than the mean for all men. No correlation was found between plasma ascorbic acid levels and height, weight, or age.