Estimated Intakes of Nutrients and Polyphenols in Participants Completing the MaPLE Randomised Controlled Trial and Its Relevance for the Future Development of Dietary Guidelines for the Older Subjects

Abstract

The evaluation of food intake in older subjects is crucial in order to be able to verify adherence to nutritional recommendations. In this context, estimation of the intake of specific dietary bioactives, such as polyphenols, although particularly challenging, is necessary to plan possible intervention strategies to increase their intake. The aims of the present study were to: (i) evaluate the nutritional composition of dietary menus provided in a residential care setting; (ii) estimate the actual intake of nutrients and polyphenols in a group of older subjects participating in the MaPLE study; and (iii) investigate the impact of an eight-week polyphenol-rich dietary pattern, compared to an eight-week control diet, on overall nutrient and polyphenol intake in older participants. The menus served to the participants provided ~770 mg per day of total polyphenols on average with small variations between seasons. The analysis of real consumption, measured using weighed food diaries, demonstrated a lower nutrient (~20%) and polyphenol intake (~15%) compared to that provided by the menus. The feasibility of dietary patterns that enable an increase in polyphenol intake with putative health benefits for age-related conditions is discussed, with a perspective to developing dietary guidelines for this target population.

Association between Food Intake, Clinical and Metabolic Markers and DNA Damage in Older Subjects

“…In our experimental conditions, the subjects enrolled had an overall good nutritional status [ 34 ]; in addition, there were no significant differences between women and men for any of the dietary variables evaluated [ 31 ]. This is in part due to the homogenous food choices related to the availability of meals provided through the daily menu at the nursing home.…”

“…As regards dietary fibre, it plays a key role in human health and its intake is associated with a reduction in weight gain, the incidence of diabetes, obesity prevalence, hypercholesterolemia, inflammation and indirectly also reduced oxidative stress [ 43 , 44 ]. Overall, the intake of fibre in our population was relatively low (i.e., about 17–18 g/day) [ 31 ] with respect to dietary recommendation (at least 25 g/day) defined by Italian and international guidelines. Statistical analysis did not show any inverse association between total fibre intake (adjusted for energy intake) and the levels of DNA damage.…”

“…Data obtained were compared with those collected along the whole study in order to verify reproducibility of food habits of the volunteers. This was ensured thanks also to the moderate variety of the meals available within the standard menu provided at the nursing home [ 31 ]. The full protocol has been reported in a previous manuscript [ 30 ].…”

Dietary Polyphenols and Human Health

“…In this Special Issue on "Dietary Polyphenols and Human Health", a series of 10 papers are presented, including three literature reviews [6][7][8] and seven original research papers [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. The described research contributes to filling some of the gaps in our knowledge about the beneficial effects of dietary polyphenols on chronic health conditions, notably cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, neurological impairment, and also certain risk factors.…”

“…Taking on the challenge of assessing polyphenol intake, Martini et al used food frequency questionnaires to compare the nutrients afforded by two different dietary patterns (polyphenol rich and control) in older participants of the MaPLE study. Their ultimate goal is to develop dietary guidelines to increase the intake of these bioactive compounds [12]. Castro-Barquero et al also used food frequency questionnaires to make a detailed estimation of the polyphenol intake in high cardiovascular risk participants of the PREDIMEDplus study.…”