Dietary studies of older Americans

Dietary surveys assessing the nutrient intake of older Americans have been briefly summarized to make information readily available to researchers, nutrition educators, and other interested persons. Calories and eight nutrients are discussed in terms of studies reporting means below the standards used, or at least one-third of the subjects with inadequate intakes. Food energy and calcium were the nutrients most frequently found to be below standards. The mean caloric intake was below the standards used in all large national surveys and a number of the smaller studies. Calcium was deficient in many of the studies, with more women likely to have an inadequate intake than men. Protein and niacin were the nutrients most often found to be sufficient. The mean intake of protein was adequate in all reviewed studies, with the exception of the Ten-State Survey, regardless of standard or dietary methodology used to estimate protein consumption. Nevertheless, several studies reported that at least one-third of their subjects fell below the standard used. The mean intake of niacin was inadequate in the Missouri Congregate Meals Program Survey and in two small studies. The Ten-State Nutrition Survey reported at least one-half the females and one-third the males with intakes less than 6.6 mg/1000 kcal.     

Cancer incidence among Icelandic farmers 1977-1987.

The purpose of the present study was to describe the cancer pattern in a cohort of farmers in Iceland and to compare their cancer incidence to that of other Icelandic males. This is a retrospective cohort study. The study population was obtained from a register at the Farmers' Pension Fund and comprised 5922 men. Viewed as a whole the cohort shows a significant lower incidence for all tumours than expected. The same is true of SIR for cancer of colon, lung, prostate, bladder and other urinary organs with SIR of 47, 41, 71 and 51, respectively. However, some etiologic factors may contribute to the increased risk of some cancer sites among farmers. There was an excess for Hodgkin's disease SIR 251, and for cancer of lips, skin (excl. melanomas), nervous system, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and leukemia with SIR of 183, 150, 128, 142 and 151, respectively, however not statistically significant. The authors suggest that something in farmers lifestyle protects them from various kinds of cancer.     

Health physics measurement of Princeton Tokamaks, 1977-1987

The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) began fusion experiments in 1951. In the early years, the major health physics concerns were associated with x radiation produced by energetic electrons in the plasma. Within the past year, neutron and 3H production from 2H-2H (represented hereafter as D-D) reactions has increased significantly on the larger fusion devices. Tritium retention noted in graphite tiles underscores the significance of material selection in present and future 3H-fueled fusion devices. This paper reports on operational health physics radiation measurements made on various PPPL machines over the past 10 y.     

Dietary magnesium intake is related to metabolic syndrome in older Americans

BACKGROUND: Magnesium (Mg) is an essential cofactor for enzymes involved in glucose and insulin metabolism. Low intakes of dietary magnesium may be linked to greater risk of metabolic syndrome (MS) in older adults. AIM OF THE STUDY: The objective of this study was to examine the cross-sectional relationship between dietary Mg intake, metabolic risk factors and MS in elderly adults. METHODS: This study was conducted in a sample of 535 (179 men and 356 women) community-living adults aged 60 years and in Boston Massachusetts between the years 1981 and 1984. Dietary Mg intake was assessed by a 3-day food record and categorized by quartiles of dietary intake. The MS was defined based on criteria set by the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program except that body mass index was used in place of waist circumference. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between quartile categories of Mg intake, prevalence of MS and components of the MS. Models were adjusted for age, gender, BMI, race, educational attainment, marital status, smoking status, alcohol intake, exercise, energy intake, percentage of calories from saturated fat, use of antihypertensive or lipid medication. RESULTS: Mg intake was inversely associated with the MS; those with the highest intake of Mg had significantly lower risk of having MS compared to the lowest quartile of intake (OR: 0.36, 95% CI 0.19-0.69, P for trend 0.002). Significant inverse relationships were observed between Mg intake and BMI (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.22-1.00, P trend = 0.03), and fasting glucose (OR: 0.41, 95% CI 0.22-0.77, P trend = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that Mg intake is inversely associated with prevalence of the MS in older adults. Older adults should be encouraged to eat foods rich in Mg, such as green vegetables, legumes and whole-grains.     

Milk consumption in older Americans.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify individual characteristics associated with types and frequency of milk consumption in older American adults. METHODS: A national probability-based sample (response rate = 91%) completed a telephone survey. Generalized logit and cumulative logit analyses were used to identify predictors of and barriers to fluid milk consumption in 494 elderly people. RESULTS: The likelihood of drinking skim or 1% milk rather than whole milk increased with nutrition knowledge, income, trying to reduce cholesterol intake, and being female (P < .05). Frequency of milk consumption was higher with nutrition knowledge, frequency of milk consumption during adolescence, and following a diabetic diet but was lower with milk intolerance. CONCLUSIONS: The present results could be used to develop intervention strategies for improving milk consumption rates among older adults. These strategies might focus on increasing elderly people's awareness of milk intolerance and lactose-reduced milk products and their concern about cholesterol. The relationship between current and adolescent milk consumption suggests that intervention strategies should begin early in life.     

Health expenditures by age group, 1977 and 1987.

In recent years, concern has increased over the rapid growth of health care spending, especially spending on behalf of the aged. In 1987, those 65 years or over comprised 12 percent of the population but consumed 36 percent of total personal health care. This article is an examination of the current and future composition of the population and effects on health care spending. National health accounts aggregates for 1977 and 1987 are split into three age groups, and the consumption patterns of each group are discussed. The variations in spending within the aged cohort are also examined.     

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 1990 edition

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the federal statement of dietary guidance policy. The small bulletin presenting the guidelines contains practical advice for healthy Americans about what constitutes a healthful diet and how such a diet is important to health. The guidelines bulletin was first published in 1980 and revised slightly in 1985. The third edition (1990) reflects new research on diet and health relationships and on the utility of the guidelines to the public. The 1990 guidelines are: Eat a variety of foods; maintain healthy weight; choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol; choose a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grain products; use sugars only in moderation; use salt and sodium only in moderation; and if you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.     

Acinetobacter outbreaks, 1977-2000.

This review of Acinetobacter outbreaks summarizes factors related to the presence and recognition of organism transmission and describes the implementation of control and prevention measures directed at limiting spread. Exogenous transmission of Acinetobacter should be considered when infections are endemic and when case rates increase. Increasing or new antimicrobial resistances in a collection of isolates also suggest transmission, and transmission can be definitively confirmed when isolates are found to be indistinguishable from or related to one another by a discriminatory genotyping test. An investigation for a common source should be conducted. When a common source cannot be found and eliminated, or once an endemically transmitted organism is established, containment or prevention efforts may require aggressive interventions, complex interventions, or both. Colonization at multiple sites, the relative ease of induction of antibiotic resistance in the organism following patient exposure to multiple drugs, and long-term environmental survival provide enhanced opportunities for the transmission of Acinetobacter between and among patients. New approaches and interventional trials are needed to define effective measures for the prevention and control of Acinobacter infections.     

Understanding trends in functional limitations among older Americans.

OBJECTIVES: This report documents trends in functional limitations among older Americans from 1984 to 1993 and investigates reasons for such trends. METHODS: We applied logistic regression to data for noninstitutionalized Americans aged 50 years and older from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. We focused on 4 functional limitation measures unlikely to be affected by changes in role expectations and living environments: reported difficulty seeing words in a newspaper, lifting and carrying 10 pounds, climbing a flight of stairs, and walking a quarter of a mile. RESULTS: We found large declines in the crude prevalence of functional limitations, especially for those 80 years and older. Generally, changes in population composition explained only a small portion of the downward trends. Once changes in population composition and mobility-related device use were considered for difficulty walking, significant improvements in functioning remained for the 65- to 79-year-old group. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in population composition, device use, survey design, role expectations, and living environments do not appear to account completely for improvements in functioning. We infer that changes in under-lying physiological capability--whether real or perceived--likely underlie such trends.     

简介《美国居民膳食指南》2020-2025

第一版《美国居民膳食指南》(Dietary Guidelines for Americans)发行于1980年,此后根据美国居民营养健康状况的变化以及营养科学的发展,对其进行了多次修订.2020年 12月9日,美国农业部(USDA)和卫生与公共服务部(HHS)联合发布了《美国居民膳食指南(2020-2025)》(后文简...     

Dietary guidelines for Americans: an historical perspective.

Since 1980, Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been published jointly, every 5 years, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). They benefit from the recommendations of a formally appointed Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The Guidelines are an example of public health recommendations that are based upon published original research and analysis of that data by expert panels. The Guidelines are intended for healthy adults, so they might reduce their risks for certain diet-related chronic conditions. They are suggestions; they do not serve-and should not be used-as regulations. Greater individualization of dietary recommendations, for both major subgroups of the population and for individual patients, can improve our effectiveness in preventing and treating specific diet-related chronic conditions. To accomplish this objective, we need to move beyond the use of “indicators” (e.g., body mass index or blood cholesterol levels) as if they were “diagnostic,” and focus on dietary and pharmacologic interventions (or, in some cases, no intervention) based on more specific diagnostic criteria (e.g., lipid patterns, fat distribution patterns, evidence of insulin resistance, and family history). Better targeting of dietary recommendations should improve their effectiveness, while reducing costs.     

Benefits of snacking in older Americans

OBJECTIVE: Because energy intakes decline with age, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of snacking on energy intakes and energy density in older adults. DESIGN: Twenty-four-hour dietary recall data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002 were used to compare the diets of snackers and nonsnackers. SUBJECTS: This study included 2,002 adults aged 65 years and older. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS PERFORMED: All statistical analyses accounted for the survey design and sample weights. Linear regression was used to estimate energy and energy-yielding nutrient intakes, eating occasions, energy intake per eating occasions, and energy density of eating occasions. RESULTS: The prevalence of snacking was high (84%) among this age group, and snackers had significantly higher daily intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrate, and total fat. Alcohol intakes were not significantly different. For those who snacked, it contributed almost a quarter of their energy and carbohydrate intakes and a fifth of their daily fat intakes. Snacking contributed 14% of their daily protein intakes. Snackers had, on average, two and a half snacking occasions per day, with each snacking occasion contributing 150 kcal. The average energy contribution of meals was not different between snackers and nonsnackers. The energy density of meals is significantly greater for snackers than for nonsnackers. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study demonstrate that snacking is an important dietary behavior among older adults. Whereas snacking may promote energy imbalance resulting in obesity among other age groups, our results suggest snacking may ensure older adults consume diets adequate in energy.     

Patterns of body weight in middle-aged and older Americans,by gender and race, 1993-2000

Summary Objectives: Despite evidence of poor health outcomes associated with excessive weight gain or loss, longitudinal patterns of body weight over the adult life course have not been fully described. This article seeks to address this by examining body weight patterns for middle-aged and older adults.Methods: Panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) original cohort and the original cohort of the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) study are used to compare, by social group, characteristics of respondents and non-respondents, baseline weight (1993 and 1994) to year 2000 weight, and explore various weight change trajectories over time.Results: Overall, a greater proportion of middle-aged adults are heavier over time than at baseline and a greater proportion of older adults lose weight over time compared to baseline. Examining the transitions across weight trajectories for all of the social groups suggests considerable variability.Conclusions: These findings suggest that differing physiologic and social or environmental experiences may have implications for body weight patterns. Understanding these patterns by race/ethnicity and gender could provide insight into health disparities among different social groups.     

Social class inequalities in the decline of coronary heart disease among New Zealand men, 1975-1977 to 1985-1987

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is regarded as a disease of developed 'western' societies. Within developed societies, however, CHD is typically a disease of the less affluent socioeconomic classes. This has not always been the case. Forty years ago. CHD was reported to be more common among the upper social classes. In New Zealand, as in other developed countries, this original trend across social classes was reversed during the past 40 years. In 1975-1977, a gradient across social class was observed for both CHD and cerebrovascular disease mortality, with the lowest social classes experiencing the highest mortality. This study has now been repeated for the period 1985-1987. Employed males aged 15-64 years were categorized by the Elley-Irving scale into six social classes. The overall age-standardized mortality rate from CHD declined over the ten-year period, from 163.0 to 121.7 per 100,000 person-years. Over the same period, however, the social class gradient for coronary mortality actually increased. The overall age-standardized mortality rate from cerebrovascular disease also declined over the ten-year period, from 25.9 to 17.7 per 100,000 person-years. A social class gradient for cerebrovascular mortality was present in both periods. In contrast to coronary mortality, however, the social class gradient diminished slightly over the ten-year period.