Nutrient Intakes Affecting Bone Formation Compared with Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) in Sabzevar Elderly Subjects

Abstract

Nutrition is an important and modifiable factor in growth and preservation of bone was as well as prevention of osteoporosis. This research was conducted to survey the status of nutrient affecting bone formation with reference to DRI. This descriptive - analytical study was conducted on 100 healthy elderly subjects in Sabzevar, Iran.Their weight and height were measured and 24 hour recall of nutritional intake were filled out in 3 successive days. All food were encoded in food processor software to assess the amount of nutrients. One - sample t - test, independent sample t - test and descriptive statistics were used in SPSS for data analysis. Fifty one men and and fourty nine women participated in the study; their mean age were 69.82± 6.87 and 67.34± 5.62 and their BMI were 22.92±3.16 and 22.19 ± 3.43 kg/m² respectively. Nutritional intake of PUFA, vitamins C, K, E, D and as well as mineral such as Ca, P, Mg, K, Zn, and Cu were less than DRI standards (p= 0.0001) while protein and Fe intake were higher (p=0.0001). Also, a significant difference was found between men and women in their intake of PUFA (p=0.04) and protein (p=0.03). The findings revealed that the intake of most nutrients, with the exception of sodium, iron and protein, is less than DRI standards in the elderly subjects. Therefore, they are recommended to protect themselves against bone loss to some extent by a diet of food variety, fruit, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products that are rich in bone-forming nutrients.