 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
WenYen Juan, PhD and Hazel Hiza, PhD, RD, LD. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 3101 Park Center Drive, room 1034, Alexandria, VA 22302, 703-605-4437, wenyen.juan@cnpp.usda.gov
Use of vitamin supplements alone may improve health status in general, however, it may not improve health indicators related to chronic diseases. Data from NHANES III were used to examine the association between vitamin supplementation on health indicators among elderly women. The health indicators included; anthropometrics: multiple skinfold and waist circumference measurements; biochemical: serum triglycerides, HDL-, LDL-cholesterol, and glycated hemoglobin levels; and physiological: systolic and diastolic blood pressures. There were 455 female elders, who were classified by age as “young olds” 60-69 (45%), “old olds” 70-79 (33%), and “oldest olds” 80+ (22%). Participants were divided into two groups as vitamin users and non-users. Weighted data were analyzed using SAS and SUDAAN. Results showed that among all vitamin users, oldest olds reported the highest percentage of vitamin usage. No significant differences were seen in any anthropometric, biochemical, or physiological parameters when vitamin users were compared with non-users among the oldest olds. However, the young olds vitamin users were more likely to have decreased levels of LDL-cholesterol, decreased waist circumference, and increased skinfold measurements compared to non-user counterparts, while the old olds vitamin users were more likely to have decreased waist circumference compared to non-user counterparts. Findings in this study do not support the hypothesis that vitamin usage is associated with improved health indicators. However, results suggested that vitamin supplementation might not be the only remedy to improve overall health in elders. Further research is warranted to examine other factors associated with health, such as physical activity and drug nutrient interactions.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Nutrition, Chronic Diseases
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.