[Effect of the consumption of a food supplement on plasma zinc concentrations of free-living Chilean elderly adults].
BACKGROUND
Zinc intake is well below recommendation among Chilean free living elderly adults of low socioeconomic level.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the effect of the consumption of a food supplement on plasma zinc concentrations in elderly adults (EA).


METHODS
Ambulatory EA (> or = 70) with controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus or high blood pressure, ascribed to public family health centers were studied. They were separated in a control and intervention group, without blinding techniques. The intervention group consumed daily 50 g of a special nutritional supplement prepared as a soup or porridge, provided by the Government, for 3 months. The control group did not receive the supplement. A good compliance with the supplement was defined as a consumption of 7 portions per week. A fasting venous blood sample was obtained to determine plasma zinc at the beginning and end of the study.


RESULTS
Forty three supplemented EA aged 76+/-5 years (21 women) and 31 non supplemented EA aged 78+/-5 years (20 women), completed 3 months of follow up. Mean compliance with the supplement was 40.5% (95% confidence intervals (CI) 40.3-40.6%). General characteristics of the study subjects upon recruitment were similar, except for the literacy that was higher in the intervention group. We fitted a multiple linear regression model which explained 39% of the variance, where the consumption of the nutritional supplement increased the concentration of plasmatic zinc by 4.14 microg/dL (95% CI 0.25-8.02) (p<0.037), after controlling for sex, age, energy, vitamin E and calcium consumption.


CONCLUSIONS
The consumption of a food supplement significantly increased plasma zinc concentrations in Chilean elderly adults.
Ramos H
Rosa Isela
RI
Unidad de Investigación en Epidemiología Nutricional, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social México, D.F. rosa.ramosh@imss.gob.mx
Atalah S
Eduardo
E
Urteaga R
Carmen
C
Castañeda L
Rutila
R
Orozco L
Maribel
M
Avila
Laura
L
Martínez
Homero
H
D000368:Aged; D002677:Chile; D004032:Diet; D004034:Diet Surveys; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005522:Food Services; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009313:National Health Programs; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015397:Program Evaluation; D015032:Zinc / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood* / Q000172:deficiency
D015032:Zinc