Dietary Intake of Vitamin E in Healthy Elderly Subjects in Institutions

Abstract

Daily vitamin E intakes of 7- healthy Japanese elderly subjects, over 60 years of age, were calculated from 3-day food records collected during middle of October, 1991, at six institutions in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture, using the Japanese Food Composition Tables. The average vitamin E intakes were 6.6 ± 2.2 mg for men and 6.1 ± 1.8 mg for women, with a widely individual variation. The difference between maximum and minimum intake was 5.3 times for men and 4.5 times for women. The 73.8% of men and 68.1% of women failed to attain the vitamin E allowance of Japanese Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). There was a significantly positive correlation (r=0.488 for men and r=0.645 for women) between vitamin E intakes and total food intakes. In this study, poor dietary vitamin E intake in elderly men and women was pointed out, because the average vitamin E intakes for these age groups are generalley below the corresponding RDA. It may be recommended that vitamin E rich food, such as fats and oils, fishes, and green and yellow coloured vegetables, will be taken in the elderly peoples to surpass the RDA.