Relationships between micronutrient intake and biochemical indicators of nutrient adequacy in a 'free-living' elderly UK population

Nutritional assessments are frequently based on amounts of nutrients consumed. In the present paper the usefulness of nutrient intake data for assessing nutrient adequacy is examined in an elderly British population. Subjects were 'free-living' elderly aged 68-90 years (sixty men, eighty-five women) in Norwich. Forty-two of forty-nine surviving males and sixty-seven of seventy-nine surviving females were reassessed after 2 years. With few exceptions, estimated micronutrient intake was not statistically predictive of biochemical measures of nutrient adequacy. Initial biochemical measures of nutritional adequacy were compared with those found 2 years later in an attempt to assess whether initial biochemical assessment was predictive of the 'longer term' situation. Biochemical measurements at the start of the study were correlated to the same measurements made 2 years later for: serum ferritin, haemoglobin and erythrocyte count, whole-blood Se-glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9; males only), plasma Cu, alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1), ascorbic acid, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxal-5-phosphate), folate and vitamin B-12, total erythrocyte thiamin (males only), riboflavin (erythrocyte glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.1) activation coefficient): but not for: erythrocyte Cu-superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) or plasma Zn. Either only small changes, or no changes, in mean values were seen over the 2 years for most of the biochemical measures. One exception was a large increase in plasma folate. The only important 'negative' features seen at 2-year follow up were a large fall in serum ferritin concentration and a large increase in the activity of two antioxidant defence enzymes, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. As judged by currently accepted biochemical deficiency threshold values, a small proportion of subjects were possibly at risk of Fe (3 % men; 1 % women), folate (7 %, 3 %), thiamin (12 %; 3 %) and vitamin C (15 %; 17 %) deficiency. Many more appeared to be at risk of vitamin B-6 (42 %; 47 %) and riboflavin (77 %; 79 %) deficiency. It was concluded that the requirements of the elderly for vitamins B-1, B-2 and C, and the biochemical deficiency threshold values used to indicate vitamin B-6 deficiency, need review.