Abstract | OBJECTIVE: To assess the nutritional status of female elderly nursing home residents and to study the effect of dietary supplementation with a physiological dose of water-soluble vitamins. DESIGN: Single-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled intervention trial. Daily consumed supplement consisted of fortified fruit juice containing 50 g carbohydrate and 50% of the daily dietary recommendations of water-soluble vitamins. Regular fruit juice was used as placebo. Dietary intake assessment at baseline. Fasting blood sample, anthropometric measurements and medical record at baseline and after 4 and 12 weeks of supplementation. SETTING: Three nursing homes within 40 km of the coordination centre (Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University, the Netherlands). SUBJECTS: Forty-two female nursing home residents aged 60 years and older, in relatively stable health condition, at least 3 months resident at baseline. In each nursing home, 14 subjects were randomly assigned to the supplement or control group. INTERVENTIONS: Twelve weeks of supplementation. RESULTS: Participants had a poor nutritional status. Dietary supplementation significantly improved the concentrations of thiamin pyrophosphate and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, increased body weight and decreased serum homocysteine concentration in the supplement group. Plasma vitamin C levels were significantly increased in both supplement and control group. CONCLUSIONS: Even in this heterogeneous population of female nursing home elderly it is possible to improve the nutritional status through dietary intervention with a physiological dose of water-soluble vitamins.
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Authors | R P van der Wielen, H A van Heereveld, C P de Groot, W A van Staveren |
Journal | European journal of clinical nutrition
(Eur J Clin Nutr)
Vol. 49
Issue 9
Pg. 665-74
(Sep 1995)
ISSN: 0954-3007 [Print] England |
PMID | 7498103
(Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
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Topics |
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Deficiency Diseases
(drug therapy)
- Female
- Food, Fortified
- Geriatric Assessment
- Homes for the Aged
- Humans
- Nursing Homes
- Nutritional Status
- Single-Blind Method
- Vitamins
(therapeutic use)
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