Plasma retinol and tocopherol levels in greek elderly population from an urban and a rural area: associations with the dietary habits.
Data on plasma concentrations of retinol and alpha-tocopherol in elderly (over 65 years) living in the Mediterranean countries are sparse. In the current study, plasma retinol and alpha-tocopherol concentrations were determined in 200 healthy subjects (82 men and 112 women) residing in an urban and in a rural area in South Western Greece. High prevalence of low plasma retinol concentration was observed for both sexes in each area. The 16.7% of males in urban and 25.4% in rural area had plasma retinol levels below 0.3 mg/l. The corresponding values for female subjects were 26% and 20.3%. Plasma alpha-tocopherol was found to be within normal range in the rural area (only one male had plasma alpha-tocopherol below 5 mg/l) while in the urban area 68.3% of men and 62% of women had plasma alpha-tocopherol values below 5 mg/l. Differences in dietary habits between subjects living in the rural and in the urban area were revealed through a weekly food frequency questionnaire. This could partly explain the difference in alpha-tocopherol concentrations between the two areas. The results of this study revealed high risk of vitamin A and E deficiency and suggests that the health care system in Greece should pay more attention on the social and health status of its elderly population.
Leotsinidis
M
M
Laboratory of Public Health, Medical School, University of Patras, Greece. mleon@med.upatras.gr
Alexopoulos
A
A
Schinas
V
V
Kardara
M
M
Kondakis
X
X
D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014505:Urban Population; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood*; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology
D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E