The global population is ageing with many older adults suffering from age-related malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies. Adequate nutrient intake is vital to enable older adults to continue living independently and delay their institutionalisation, as well as to prevent deterioration of health status in those living in institutions. This systematic review investigated the insufficiency of trace minerals in older adults living independently and in institutions. We examined 28 studies following a cross-sectional or cohort design, including 7203 older adults (≥60) living independently in 13 Western countries and 2036 living in institutions in seven Western countries. The estimated average requirement (EAR) cut-off point method was used to calculate percentage insufficiency for eight trace minerals using extracted mean and standard deviation values. Zinc deficiency was observed in 31% of community-based women and 49% of men. This was higher for those in institutional care (50% and 66%, respectively). Selenium intakes were similarly compromised with deficiency in 49% women and 37% men in the community and 44% women and 27% men in institutions. We additionally found significant proportions of both populations showing insufficiency for iron, iodine and copper. This paper identifies consistent nutritional insufficiency for selenium, zinc, iodine and copper in older adults.

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The first UK lockdown greatly impacted the food security status of UK adults. This study set out to establish if food procurement was adapted differently for different income groups and if this impacted dietary intakes disproportionately. Adults (n = 515) aged 20–65 years participated in an online survey with 56 completing a 3–4 day diet diary. Food availability was a significant factor in the experience of food insecurity. Similar proportions of food secure and food insecure adapted food spend during lockdown, spending similar amounts. Food insecure (n = 85, 18.3%) had a 10.5% lower income and the money spent on food required a greater proportion of income. Access to food was the biggest driver of food insecurity but monetary constraint was a factor for the lowest income group. The relative risk of food insecurity increased by 0.07-fold for every 1% increase in the proportion of income spent on food above 10%. Micronutrient intakes were low compared to the reference nutrient intake (RNI) for most females, with riboflavin being 36% lower in food insecure groups (p = 0.03), whilst vitamin B12 was 56% lower (p = 0.057) and iodine 53.6% lower (p = 0.257) these were not significant. Coping strategies adopted by food insecure groups included altering the quantity and variety of fruit and vegetables which may have contributed to the differences in micronutrients.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate cardiovascular risk scores (Framingham, Pooled Cohort Risk Assessment Equations; PCRAE), anthropometric measurements and compare their strengths for identifying patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease in individuals over the age of 40. Method: This study was performed with 258 patients aged 40 to 72 years meeting the eligibility criteria for the study who admitted to the Family Practice Centers of Training and Research Hospital. Number Cruncher Statistical System 2007 Statistical software was used for the statistical analysis. Results: Age, male gender, waist-to-hip ratio of patients with high Framingham and PCRAE risk scores were determined to be statistically significantly higher than patients with low Framingham and PCRAE risk scores (p<0.01). The body mass ındex values were significantly high in patients with high Framingham scores (p<0.05). Patients with a higher Framingham risk score were more likely to have a high PCRAE risk score (p<0.01). Conclusion: Risk scores correlate with each other, Framingham and PCRAE risk scores can be used in the screening of cardiovasculer disease risk in our country, antropometric measures are useful in detecting high-risk individuals, and most risk factors can be controlled by family physicians.