| Abstract: | A group of 18 elderly nursing home residents, whose food intake was considered inadequate, was evaluated with respect to nutrient intake and selected biochemical measurements. Food eaten provided less than two-thirds of the recommended amounts of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, and calcium for approximately 50% of the women. Intake of iron by one-third of the women was also less than adequate. Forty-four, 61 and 50% of the hemoglobin, serum protein and vitamin A values, respectively, were low or deficient. The amounts of thiamin and riboflavin excreted in urin were low in 31 and 88% of the women, respectively. The addition of a liquid dietary supplement to the diets of the elderly women improved food intake and biochemical measurements of selected nutrients in some cases. The percentage of low hemoglobin, serum protein and vitamin A values decreased 22, 50, and 17%, respectively. Urinary excretion of riboflavin and thiamin for each subject exceeded the acceptable levels at the close of the 30-day supplementation period. On the basis of selected measurements, the supplements seemed to benefit some women to a greater extent than others. |
