OBJECTIVE: Determination of the plasma vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of a number of elderly populations to describe their micronutrient status and examine geographical patterns and the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships with sex, age, food and alcohol intake. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. SETTING: Twelve small towns in ten European countries and one in the USA. SUBJECTS: Randomized sample of 1175 subjects of both sexes born in the period 1913-1918, stratified according to age and sex. INTERVENTIONS: Blood plasma collection and determination of alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, alpha-carotene, all-trans- and cis-beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, vitamin B-12, folic acid and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. From the original sample examined in 1988/1989, measurements were repeated in 938 subjects in 1993. RESULTS: There were very large within and between country differences in the micronutrient levels with no definite geographical pattern emerging. The retinol levels decreased significantly between 1988/1989 and 1993 (-0.2 mumol/l, P = 0.0001), unlike the total carotene levels (0.01, NS) while the alpha-tocopherol (0.7 mumol/l, P = 0.002), folic acid (1.1 nmol/l, P < 0.01) and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (12 nmol/l, P = 0.0001) levels increased significantly. Vitamin B-12 levels increased nonsignificantly in men (17.2 pmol/l, P = 0.77) and decreased significantly in women (-37 pmol/l, P = 0.012). The prevalence of biochemical vitamin A deficiency was zero in both 1988/1989 and 1993, that of vitamin E deficiency decreased from 1.1% to 0.6% and for vitamin B-6 from 23.3% to 5.7%. Vitamin B-12 biochemical deficiency increased from 2.7% to 7.3% and for folic acid from zero to 0.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in the median micronutrient plasma levels over a 4-y period varied, exceeding 30%-40% in some elderly populations. This was reflected in changes, mostly decreases, in the prevalences of vitamin deficiency.
OBJECTIVE: Determination of the plasma vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of a number of elderly populations to describe their micronutrient status and examine geographical patterns and the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships with sex, age, food and alcohol intake. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. SETTING: Twelve small towns in ten European countries and one in the USA. SUBJECTS: Randomized sample of 1175 subjects of both sexes born in the period 1913-1918, stratified according to age and sex. INTERVENTIONS: Blood plasma collection and determination of alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, alpha-carotene, all-trans- and cis-beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, vitamin B-12, folic acid and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. From the original sample examined in 1988/1989, measurements were repeated in 938 subjects in 1993. RESULTS: There were very large within and between country differences in the micronutrient levels with no definite geographical pattern emerging. The retinol levels decreased significantly between 1988/1989 and 1993 (-0.2 mumol/l, P = 0.0001), unlike the total carotene levels (0.01, NS) while the alpha-tocopherol (0.7 mumol/l, P = 0.002), folic acid (1.1 nmol/l, P < 0.01) and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (12 nmol/l, P = 0.0001) levels increased significantly. Vitamin B-12 levels increased nonsignificantly in men (17.2 pmol/l, P = 0.77) and decreased significantly in women (-37 pmol/l, P = 0.012). The prevalence of biochemical vitamin A deficiency was zero in both 1988/1989 and 1993, that of vitamin E deficiency decreased from 1.1% to 0.6% and for vitamin B-6 from 23.3% to 5.7%. Vitamin B-12 biochemical deficiency increased from 2.7% to 7.3% and for folic acid from zero to 0.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in the median micronutrient plasma levels over a 4-y period varied, exceeding 30%-40% in some elderly populations. This was reflected in changes, mostly decreases, in the prevalences of vitamin deficiency.
Authors: D Schlettwein-Gsell; B Decarli; J A Cruz; J Haller; C P de Groot; W A van Staveren Journal: Z Gerontol Geriatr Date: 1999-07 Impact factor: 1.281
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Authors: Y Rolland; P de Souto Barreto; G Abellan Van Kan; C Annweiler; O Beauchet; H Bischoff-Ferrari; G Berrut; H Blain; M Bonnefoy; M Cesari; G Duque; M Ferry; O Guerin; O Hanon; B Lesourd; J Morley; A Raynaud-Simon; G Ruault; J-C Souberbielle; B Vellas Journal: J Nutr Health Aging Date: 2013-04 Impact factor: 4.075
Authors: Marcello Maggio; Francesca de Vita; Fulvio Lauretani; Stefania Bandinelli; Richard D Semba; Benedetta Bartali; Antonio Cherubini; Anne R Cappola; Gian Paolo Ceda; Luigi Ferrucci Journal: Nutrients Date: 2015-08-05 Impact factor: 5.717