Vitamin C status in elderly women: A comparison between women living in a nursing home and women living independently

Abstract

The vitamin C status in blood fractions in 135 elderly women aged 65 years and older was studied within the framework of the Dutch Nutrition Surveillance System. Mean (± standard deviation) vitamin C intake (mg/day) was lower among women living in a nursing home (54±27 mg/ day) than among women living in service flats (97±55 mg/ day) and women living independently (132 ± 44 mg/day). (Service flats are apartments in which the rent includes housekeeping and, when ordered, meal service.) Marginal vitamin C values (<23 μmol/L) in blood fractions and even levels as low as those found in clinical scurvy (<11 μmol/L) were frequently observed. In the nursing home, 35% of the women had plasma vitamin C values below 11 μmol/L, and 23% had values between 11 and 23 μmol/L. Blood levels were not significantly affected by age, smoking status, or use of particular drugs but were strongly ( r = .47 or, after logarithmic transformation, r = .64) associated with daily intake of vitamin C. Low intake of vitamin C resulted from an overall low food consumption and selective restriction of food products rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C losses caused by food preparation practices and distribution in the nursing home's catering system reduced actual vitamin C intake levels but these losses were not substantially greater than those that are assumed to occur as a result of preparation practices by women living independently.