Abstract
BackgroundVitamin deficiency is a cause of health related problems in elderly people. The aims were to study associations between vitamin B6 (B6) and diseases (primarily functional gastrointestinal disorders) in elderly people in nursing homes, the prevalence of B6 deficiency and factors associated with B6 deficiency.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included residents in nursing homes. Demographics, nutritional status (Mini Nutritional Assessment, MNA® ), physical activity, activity of daily living (Katz Index), dietary habits, use of drugs, and psychiatric and somatic diseases were recorded. A blood sample was collected for haematological and biochemical screening, including B6 (p-PLP); p-PLP values < 20 nmol/l indicates B6 deficiency. The results are given as mean (SD).ResultsSixty-one residents (men/women: 22/39) with an age of 85.3 (6.8) years and BMI 25.7 (4.5) kg/m2 were included. Malnutrition and risk of malnutrition were present in 11.5% and 61% respectively. Dietary intake of B6 (mg/day) in men and women were 1.60 (0.30) and 1.18 (0.31) (recommended 1.6 and 1.2 respectively), and 14 (23%) used B6 supplements. Median p-PLP was 20.7 (range <4.0-175.8), 30 subjects (49%) had B6 deficiency. B6 deficiency was associated with old age, low s-alanine aminotransferase and s-albumin, elevated s-homocysteine and inactivity (p-values 0.01-0.03). There were no clinically significant associations between B6 deficiency and somatic or psychiatric disorders, and B6 deficiency was not observed in subjects given B6 supplements.ConclusionsHalf of the residents had vitamin B6 deficiency. Vitamin supplement was effective prophylaxis for deficiency and should be recommended to all elderly people in nursing homes.
Highlights
Vitamin deficiency is a cause of health related problems in elderly people
We have previously reported an association between low intake of B6 and symptom load in subjects with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) [13]
The aims were to study associations between vitamin B6 deficiency and diseases, primarily functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) because of our previous findings of an association between B6 deficiency and abdominal complaints, the prevalence of B6 deficiency and factors associated with B6 deficiency in elderly people in nursing homes [13]
Summary
Vitamin deficiency is a cause of health related problems in elderly people. The aims were to study associations between vitamin B6 (B6) and diseases (primarily functional gastrointestinal disorders) in elderly people in nursing homes, the prevalence of B6 deficiency and factors associated with B6 deficiency. Nutritional problems and the natural aging process contribute to the high prevalence of health related problems in elderly people. The prevalence of malnutrition is in the order of 14 – 71%. Malnutrition, diseases and complaints, of which gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are among the most common ones, are associated with high costs and reduced quality of life [1,2,3,4,5,6]. B6 is a coenzyme in various metabolic pathways including degrading of
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