Efecto del consumo de un complemento alimentario en la concentración plasmática de cinc en adultos mayores residentes en Santiago de Chile / Effect of the consumption of a food supplement on plasma zinc concentrations of free-living Chilean elderly adults

Background: Zinc intake is well below recommendation among Chilean free living elderly adults of low socioeconomic level Aim: To assess the effect of the consumption of a food supplement on plasma zinc concentrations in elderly adults (EA). Material and Methods: Ambulatory EA (z70) with controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus or high blood pressure, ascribed to public family health centers were studied. They were separated in a control and intervention group, without blinding techniques. The intervention group consumed daily 50 g of a special nutritional supplement prepared as a soup or porridge, provided by the Government, for 3 months. The control group did not receive the supplement. A good compliance with the supplement was defined as a consumption of 7 portions per week. A fasting venous blood sample was obtained to determine plasma zinc at the beginning and end of the study. Results: Forty three supplemented EA aged 76±5 years (21 women) and 31 non supplemented EA aged 78±5 years (20 women), completed 3 months of follow up. Mean compliance with the supplement was 40.5 percent (95 percent confidence intervals (CI) 40.3-40.6 percent). General characteristics of the study subjects upon recruitment were similar, except for the literacy that was higher in the intervention group. We fitted a multiple linear regression model which explained 39 percent of the variance, where the consumption of the nutritional supplement increased the concentration ofplasmatic zinc by 4.14 fig/dL (95 percent CI 0.25-8.02) (p<0.037), after controlling for sex, age, energy, vitamin E and calcium consumption. Conclusions: The consumption of a food supplement significantly increased plasma zinc concentrations in Chilean elderly adults.

Validación del criterio de evaluación nutricional global del adulto mayor / Evaluation of mini nutritional assessment in chilean free living elders

Background: The Chilean Ministry of Health proposed the use of Mini Nutritional Assessment, to identify elders at nutritional risk. This score considers anthropometric, dietary and quality of life items. Aim: To assess the concordance of the mini nutritional assessment with body mass index and dietary parameters in Chilean free living elders. Material and methods: Subjects aged 70 years old or more, coming from four public outpatient clinics were studied. In all, the mini nutritional assessment, dietary intake using 24 h recalls and anthropometric parameters, were measured. Energy intake was evaluated using FAO/WHO/UNU guidelines. Micronutrient intake was evaluated using the Dietary Recommended Intakes (DRI) from USA. Kappa index was used to determine diagnostic concordance. Results: Forty three percent of subjects were overweight or obese. There was a substandard intake of calcium, folate, zinc, vitamin A, C, E, B6, B12 and energy. Seventy nine percent of subjects had a deficient or regular food intake. Mini nutritional assessment score was normal in 66 percent of subjects. Fifty eight percent of those with a deficient food intake had a normal mini nutritional assessment. On the other hand, 73 percent of those considered at nutritional risk, had a normal or excessive weight. Conclusions: Mini nutritional assessment did not identify elders at nutritional risk in this sample