Antioxidant biomarkers and food intake in elderly women.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between antioxidant biomarkers and food intake in elderly women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Recreation Center for the Elderly in the city of Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: 73 elderly women with an average age of 71 years, 93% caucasian, average body weight 68.7 ± 13.1 kg and average BMI 28.5 ± 2.3 kg/m². MEASUREMENTS: Nutritional status was assessed based on the Body Mass Index (BMI). Data on food intake were obtained by applying the 24h diet recall method in three non-consecutive days, including Sunday. The assessment of antioxidant biomarkers was performed based on tests for total plasma thiols and phenolic compounds. The linear regression analysis was used to assess the effect of the consumption of food groups on antioxidant biomarkers. RESULTS: A positive association was found between thiols and intake of carotenoid-rich vegetables (p=0.03), oils, fats and oilseeds (p=0.03); a negative association was observed between total concentrations of phenolic compounds and intake of cereals (p=0.04). CONCLUSION: The intake of foods from the carotenoid-rich vegetables, oils, fats and oilseeds food groups increased the levels of plasma thiols, and the intake of foods from the group of cereals decreased the plasma concentration of phenols. Studies should be conducted to investigate the association between the intake of antioxidant-rich foods and the plasma antioxidant profile, as a way to protect against the aging process.