Nutritional status of healthy middle class elderly women.

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to determine the adequacy of dietary intakeand blood/serum concentrations of nutrients of middle class elderly women. Thirty-six middle class women volunteered to participate in this study. An interview, a 24-hour dietary recall, anthropometric measurements and a blood sample were obtained from all subjects. Using the 1980 RDA as a basis for evaluation, less than two-thirds of the RDA of the following nutrients were ingested for a percentage of the subjects: calcium (41%), vitamin A (16%), thiamin (8%), and riboflavin and vitamin C (14%). Blood and serum levels of nutrients below normal clinical ranges included vitamin B6 (31% of subjects), carotene (23%), vitamin B12 (14%), and folate (11%). No correlations were found between intake and blood and serum concentrations.