scholarly journals Nutrient intake and biochemical status of non-institutionalized elderly subjects in Norwich: comparison with younger adults and adolescents from the same general community

1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. A. Wright ◽  
Susan Southon ◽  
Angela L. Bailey ◽  
P. M. Finglas ◽  
Susan Maisey ◽  
...  

The Department of Health (1992) has recently stated that ‘Nutritional reviews concerning elderly people are especially constrained by lack of data’, and that much of the emphasis in the nutritional literature has been placed on the study of institutionalized, and often chronically ill, elderly subjects rather than the non-institutionalized elderly who form the majority of this population. The present study presents information on the dietary intake and biochemical status of non-institutionalized elderly subjects (68–73 and 74–90 years) and compares such data with those obtained for adult (20–64 years) and adolescent (13–14 years) populations living within the same community. Nutrient intakes and appropriate biochemical measurements of nutrient status, performed on fasting blood samples, were statistically examined and have been discussed in relation to potential age-related influences. The nutrient intake of elderly subjects was on a par with adolescents of corresponding sex but generally lower than that of adult counterparts. There were several significant differences in biochemical measurements of nutrient status between age groups. In general these did not suggest progressive age-related trends. However, there were significant suggestions of age-related increases in whole-blood glutathione peroxidase (EC1·11·1·9) activity, serum ferritin, plasma cholesterol, LDL and triacylglycerol concentrations and decreases in plasma HDL and ascorbic acid concentrations. The significance of these differences is discussed. An age-related difference (suggestive of a decline) in vitamin C status together with a difference (suggestive of an increase) in glutathione peroxidase activity may indicate an imbalance in the regulation of O2-derived free-radicals with ageing. These observations are worthy of a further study in the light of current thinking which relates the induction of a number of diseases to oxidative damage.

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2964
Author(s):  
Lauren M. Young ◽  
Sarah Gauci ◽  
Andrew Scholey ◽  
David J. White ◽  
Annie-Claude Lassemillante ◽  
...  

Evidence for diet quality representing a modifiable risk factor for age-related cognitive decline and mood disturbances has typically come from retrospective, cross-sectional analyses. Here a diet screening tool (DST) was used to categorize healthy middle-aged volunteers (n = 141, 40–65 years) into “optimal” or “sub-optimal” diet groups to investigate cross-sectional associations between diet quality, cognitive function, and mood. The DST distinguished levels of nutrient intake as assessed by Automated Self-Administered 24-h dietary recall and nutrient status, as assessed by blood biomarker measures. Compared with the “sub-optimal” group, the “optimal” diet group showed significantly higher intake of vitamin E (p = 0.007), magnesium (p = 0.001), zinc (p = 0.043) and fiber (p = 0.015), higher circulating levels of vitamin B6 (p = 0.030) and red blood cell folate (p = 0.026) and lower saturated fatty acids (p = 0.012). Regarding psychological outcomes, the “optimal” diet group had significantly better Stroop processing than those with a “sub-optimal” diet (p = 0.013). Regression analysis revealed that higher DST scores were associated with fewer mood disturbances (p = 0.002) and lower perceived stress (p = 0.031), although these differences were not significant when comparing “optimal” versus “sub-optimal” as discrete groups. This study demonstrates the potential of a 20-item diet screen to identify both nutritional and psychological status in an Australian setting.


2006 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 359-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodríguez-Rodríguez ◽  
Ortega ◽  
López-Sobaler ◽  
Aparicio ◽  
Bermejo ◽  
...  

This study investigated the relationship between the intake of antioxidant nutrients and the suffering of cataracts in 177 institutionalized elderly people (61 men and 116 women) aged ≥ 65 years. Dietary intake was monitored for 7 consecutive days using a "precise individual weighing" method. Subjects, who during their earlier years were exposed by their work to sunlight, had a greater risk of suffering cataracts (OR = 3.2; Cl: 1.1–9.3, P < 0.05) than those who worked indoors. A relationship was found between increased vitamin C intake and a reduced prevalence of cataracts (i.e., when comparing those above P95 for vitamin C intake with those below P5; (OR = 0.08; Cl: 0.01–0.75, P 0.05). Among subjects with cataracts, 12.1% had vitamin C intakes of < 61 mg/day (P10) and only 2.2% had intakes of > 183 mg/day (P95) (p < 0.01). Subjects who consumed > 3290 μg/day (P95) of lutein were less likely to have cataracts (OR = 0.086; Cl: 0.007–1.084; p < 0.05) than those whose consumption was < 256 μg/day (P5). In men, high intakes of zeaxanthin seemed to provide a protective effect against the problem (OR = 0.96; Cl: 0.91–0.99; p < 0.05). The results suggest an association exists between exposure to sunlight and the development of cataracts, and that vitamin C, lutein, and zeaxanthin offer some protection against this disorder.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6966
Author(s):  
Hee-Jin Choi ◽  
Ji-Yeoun Lee

The objective of this study was to test higher-order statistical (HOS) parameters for the classification of young and elderly voice signals and identify gender- and age-related differences through HOS analysis. This study was based on data from 116 subjects (58 females and 58 males) extracted from the Saarbruecken voice database. In the gender analysis, the same number of voice samples were analyzed for each sex. Further, we conducted experiments on the voices of elderly people using gender analysis. Finally, we reviewed the standards and reference models to reduce sex and gender bias. The acoustic parameters were extracted from young and elderly voice signals using Praat and a time–frequency analysis program (TF32). Additionally, we investigated the gender- and age-related differences in HOS parameters. Young and elderly voice signals significantly differed in normalized skewness (p = 0.005) in women and normalized kurtosis (p = 0.011) in men. Therefore, normalized skewness is a useful parameter for distinguishing between young and elderly female voices, and normalized kurtosis is essential for distinguishing between young and elderly male voices. We will continue to investigate parameters that represent important information in elderly voice signals.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2235
Author(s):  
Alyann Otrante ◽  
Amal Trigui ◽  
Roua Walha ◽  
Hicham Berrougui ◽  
Tamas Fulop ◽  
...  

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) maintain cholesterol homeostasis through the role they play in regulating reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), a process by which excess cholesterol is transported back to the liver for elimination. However, RCT can be altered in the presence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as aging, which contributes to the increase in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The present study was aimed at investigating the effect of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) intake on the cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) of HDL, and to elucidate on the mechanisms by which EVOO intake improves the anti-atherogenic activity of HDL. A total of 84 healthy women and men were enrolled and were distributed, according to age, into two groups: 27 young (31.81 ± 6.79 years) and 57 elderly (70.72 ± 5.6 years) subjects. The subjects in both groups were given 25 mL/d of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) for 12 weeks. CEC was measured using J774 macrophages radiolabeled with tritiated cholesterol ((3H) cholesterol). HDL subclass distributions were analyzed using the Quantimetrix Lipoprint® system. The HDL from the elderly subjects exhibited a lower level of CEC, at 11.12% (p < 0.0001), than the HDL from the young subjects. The CEC of the elderly subjects returned to normal levels following 12 weeks of EVOO intake. An analysis of the distribution of HDL subclasses showed that HDL from the elderly subjects were composed of lower levels of large HDL (L-HDL) (p < 0.03) and higher levels of small HDL (S-HDL) (p < 0.002) compared to HDL from the young subjects. A multiple linear regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between CEC and L-HDL levels (r = 0.35 and p < 0.001) as well as an inverse correlation between CEC and S-HDL levels (r = −0.27 and p < 0.01). This correlation remained significant even when several variables, including age, sex, and BMI as well as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and glucose levels (β = 0.28, p < 0.002, and β = 0.24, p = 0.01) were accounted for. Consuming EVOO for 12 weeks modulated the age-related difference in the distribution of HDL subclasses by reducing the level of S-HDL and increasing the level of intermediate-HDL/large-HDL (I-HDL/L-HDL) in the elderly subjects. The age-related alteration of the CEC of HDL was due, in part, to an alteration in the distribution of HDL subclasses. A diet enriched in EVOO improved the functionality of HDL through an increase in I-HDL/L-HDL and a decrease in S-HDL.


1983 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. G. Cotter ◽  
K. O'Malley

1. Neutrophils from drug-free elderly subjects produced approximately 50% less cyclic AMP in response to isoprenaline than did neutrophils from young subjects. A significant difference in basal cyclic AMP levels was also evident (elderly 2.8 ± 0.37; young 4.9 ± 0.36 pmol of cAMP/107 cells; P < 0.05). 2. With a range of anti-neutrophil monoclonal antibodies no evidence of age-related neutrophil population heterogeneity was found. 3. These findings indicate that the age-related decline in β-adrenoceptor responsiveness is not due to changes in the neutrophil population. 4. The present results support the hypothesis that there is a generalized decline in β-adrenoceptor-mediated responsiveness in the elderly.


1994 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penelope J. Neild ◽  
Denise Syndercombe-Court ◽  
W. R. Keatinge ◽  
G. C. Donaldson ◽  
M. Mattock ◽  
...  

1. Six elderly (66-71 years) and six young (20-23 years) subjects (half of each group women) were cooled for 2 h in moving air at 18°C to investigate possible causes of increased mortality from arterial thrombosis among elderly people in cold weather. Compared with thermoneutral control experiments, skin temperature (trunk) fell from 35.5 to 29.5°C, with little change in core temperature. 2. Erythrocyte count rose in the cold from 4.29 to 4.69 × 1012/l, without a change in mean corpuscular volume, indicating a 14% or 438 ml decline in plasma volume; increased excretion of water, Na+ and K+ accounted for loss of only 179 ml of extracellular water. 3. Plasma cholesterol and fibrinogen concentrations rose in the elderly subjects from 4.9 mmol/l and 2.97 g/l (control) to 5.45 mmol/l and 3.39 g/l in the cold, and in the young subjects from 3.33 mmol/l and 1.84 g/l (control) to 3.77 mmol/l and 2.07 g/l in the cold. Increases were significant for the elderly subjects, the young subjects and the group as a whole, except for cholesterol in the young subjects, and all were close to those expected from the fall in plasma volume. 4. Plasma levels of Protein C and factor X did not increase significantly in the cold in the elderly subjects, young subjects, or the group as a whole. 5. The results suggest that loss of plasma fluid in the cold concentrates major risk factors for arterial thrombosis, while small molecules, including protective Protein C, redistribute to interstitial fluid.


1991 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvey J. Sagar ◽  
Edith V. Sullivan ◽  
Suzanne Corkin

Autobiographical memories in young and elderly normal subjects are drawn mostly from the recent past but elderly subjects relate a second peak of memories from early adulthood. Memory for remote past public events is relatively preserved in dementia, possibly reflecting integrity of semantic relative to episodic memory. We examined recall of specific, consistent autobiographical episodes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) in response to cue words. Patients and control subjects drew most memories from the recent 20 years: episode age related to anterograde memory function but not subject age or dementia. Subjects also related a secondary peak of memories from early adulthood; episode age related to subject age and severity of dementia. The results suggest that preferential recall of memories from early adulthood is based on the salience of retrieval cues, altered by age and dementia, superimposed on a temporal gradient of semantic memory. Further, AD shows behavioural similarity to normal ageing.


1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (1) ◽  
pp. G1-G3 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Lasch ◽  
D. O. Castell ◽  
J. A. Castell

Graded intraesophageal balloon distension (IEBD) has been utilized in the past to evaluate esophageal pain thresholds. With use of a technique that we have found to provide reproducible results for pain thresholds, two groups of normal individuals without esophageal symptoms or diabetes were studied. Group 1 included 10 "young" (age < 65 yr) individuals (mean age 27 yr, range 18-57 yr). Group 2 included 17 individuals age 65 yr or greater (mean age 72.5 yr, range 65-87 yr). Catheters with latex balloons (Wilson-Cook) were used in all 27 subjects with the balloon located 10 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter. Sequential inflations of 2-ml increments were performed until a total volume of 2 ml above the point of pain or to a maximum of 30 ml was reached. A series of two sequential inflations were performed on each subject on the day of the testing, and the mean value was taken to indicate pain threshold volumes for all 27 subjects. In the group of elderly volunteers, 5 subjects felt no pain even at the maximum inflatable volume of the balloon (30 ml) and were assigned a maximum threshold value of 30 ml. Mean pain threshold volumes for the young subjects was 17 +/- 0.8 ml of air (+/- SE) and for the elderly subjects was 27 +/- 1.4 ml (P < 0.01 and 95% confidence interval = 7.1-13.3). Our conclusion is that IEBD results in the esophagus indicate an age-related decrease in human visceral pain threshold.


Gerontology ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 232-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Q.T.S. Neves ◽  
Márcia D.T. Carvalho ◽  
Marisa Passarelli ◽  
Edna R. Nakandakare ◽  
Márcia M.M.S. Bernik ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document