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Ten-year trends in dietary intake, health status and mortality rates in free-living elderly people

  • Published:
The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objective

To explore the trends of food preferences and nutrient intake over a 10-year follow-up in a group of successfully aging elderly.

Design

Longitudinal study.

Setting

City of Padua, Italy.

Participants

Randomly stratified sample of 97 men and 94 women born between 1913 and 1918.

Measurements

The study involved a dietary assessment conducted in 1988/89 and repeated in 1999. Data were collected by means of a modified validated dietary history.

Results

Nutrient and energy intake remained fairly stable over a decade, despite changes in eating habits, with a higher intake of sweets and a lower consumption of soft drinks in both genders. All individuals significantly increased their daily intake of water.

Conclusion

Despite changes in eating habits, no significant decline in total energy and macronutrient intake was recorded in a decade in our elderly. The increased daily consumption of water and decreased use of soft drinks would suggest that these people were still receptive to nutritional advice even in very old age, while the increase in their sweet-eating might be because aging itself increases a person’s sweet tooth, and this could be regarded as an age-related effect on dietary habits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Division of Geriatrics, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    E. D. Toffanello, E. M. Inelmen, Giuseppe Sergi, A. Coin, F. Miotto, G. Enzi & E. Manzato

  2. National Research Council, Institute of Neuroscience, Padua Section, Padua, Italy

    N. Minicuci & F. Campigotto

  3. Clinica Geriatrica — Ospedale Giustinianeo (2° piano), via Giustiniani 2, 35128, Padova, Italy

    Giuseppe Sergi

Authors
  1. E. D. Toffanello
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  2. E. M. Inelmen
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  3. N. Minicuci
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  4. F. Campigotto
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  5. Giuseppe Sergi
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  6. A. Coin
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  7. F. Miotto
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  8. G. Enzi
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  9. E. Manzato
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giuseppe Sergi.

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Toffanello, E.D., Inelmen, E.M., Minicuci, N. et al. Ten-year trends in dietary intake, health status and mortality rates in free-living elderly people. J Nutr Health Aging 14, 259–264 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-010-0058-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-010-0058-1

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