alpha-Tocopherol intake and plasma concentration of Hispanic and non-Hispanic white elders is associated with dietary intake pattern.
alpha-Tocopherol from foods has been associated with protection against several chronic diseases and maintenance of immune function. However, most people do not meet current recommendations for intake. We examined alpha-tocopherol intake and plasma concentration in a representative sample of Puerto Rican and Dominican older adults (n = 447) and in neighborhood-matched non-Hispanic whites (n = 155). A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake. Mean dietary intakes of alpha-tocopherol were 6 mg in both ethnicities. Only 4.7% of women and 7.9% of men met the estimated average requirement (12 mg/d) for vitamin E from food alone. Top sources of alpha-tocopherol for Hispanics included oils and milk, and for non-Hispanic whites they were ready-to-eat breakfast cereal and sweet baked products. Mean plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations were 24.5 micromol/L for Hispanics and 25.8 micromol/L for non-Hispanic whites (P > 0.05). Plasma alpha-tocopherol was positively associated with alpha-tocopherol intake (P = 0.003), and significance remained after adjusting covariates and after exclusion of supplement users (P for trend = 0.008). We identified the following 5 dietary patterns by cluster analysis: 1) fruit and breakfast cereal, 2) starchy vegetables, 3) rice, 4) milk and milk products, and 5) sweets. Those following the sweets pattern had the lowest plasma alpha-tocopherol relative to those following the fruit and breakfast cereal or milk patterns (P < 0.05 for all), although they had similar intakes. A large proportion of these elders (>90%) have inadequate intake of alpha-tocopherol, and plasma concentrations were associated with intake patterns.
Gao
Xiang
X
The Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.
Martin
Antonio
A
Lin
Hai
H
Bermudez
Odilia I
OI
Tucker
Katherine L
KL
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D002523:Edible Grain; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D008892:Milk; D044465:White People; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood*
D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; D002784:Cholesterol; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol