Dietary Intakes of Energy and Water-Soluble Vitamins in Different Categories of Aging

Abstract

The dietary intakes of energy and the vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, B6, and C were assessed in four groups of elderly people, using the same modified dietary history method. The groups consisted of female nursing home residents (n = 40), people at admission to a nursing home (n = 21), free-living elderly people with a sedentary life style (n = 120), and physically active free-living elderly people (n = 66). Mean energy intake varied from 6.5 ± 1.2 Megajoule (MJ)/day (nursing home residents) to 8.8 ± 2.2 MJ/day (physically very active persons) in females and from 8.8 ± 2.5 MJ/day (admission to nursing home) to 10.1 ± 2.3 MJ/day (physically very active persons) in males. Dietary intakes of the selected vitamins were below the minimum requirements in almost half of the nursing home residents. However, the relative contribution of the various food groups to the dietary intake of these vitamins was similar in the four groups of elderly people. Stimulation of physical activity to increase energy requirements and use of foods with a high nutrient density may result in an improvement of dietary adequacy.