The influence of age and sex on nutritional parameters in subjects aged 60 years and over

The nutritional assessment of the elderly shows several interpretative difficulties due to the lack of standard parameters. Moreover chronic age-related diseases can interfere with the physiological nutritional status. Anthropometric (triceps skinfold, arm muscle area, total body muscle mass, fat mass and Body Mass Index (BMI)), biochemical (serum prealbumin, transferrin, ceruloplasmin, total protein and albumin) and immunological (serum lymphocytes) parameters were measured in 583 out-patients aged 60 years or over selected on the basis of clinical and biochemical criteria and with BMI /= 75) for each sex. The F-test analysis for all anthropometric parameters except BMI showed significant differences with respect to age (P < 0.05) and sex (P < 0.05). Among biochemical parameters, prealbumin showed a significant difference for age (P < 0.05) and sex (P < 0.05) (males, 30.3 +/- 8.2; females, 29.1 +/- 7.5) while ceruloplasmin showed a significant difference for sex only (P < 0.05) (males, 40.9 +/- 9.3; females, 43.8 +/- 8.2). When the biochemical mean values obtained in this study were compared with those utilized in the daily routine of the hospital central laboratory, ceruloplasmin and prealbumin resulted in significantly higher (P < 0.05) while total protein and albumin were significantly lower values (P < 0.05).