Older adults quite often had an inadequate diet leading to micronutrient deficiencies and impaired immune response with subsequent development of degenerative diseases. This study aimed to determine the adequacy of energy and nutrient intake and its distribution among three aging groups i.e. successful aging (SA), usual aging (UA) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This is a cross-sectional study involving a large sample size (n = 2322) of older adults recruited through multistage random sampling from four states of Malaysia. An interview was conducted to measure dietary intake, neurocognitive status and functional status by using the Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Rey Auditory Learning Test (RAVLT), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) and Quality of Life Questionnaire. For comparison of dietary intake, a sub-sample of 173 respondents from each aging groups were matched and selected using a comparative cross-sectional approach. Women in SA group had the highest mean intake of vitamin A, calcium (p <0.05), vitamin C, riboflavin and iron (p<0.001). The same aging group also achieved the highest RNI percentage for the same nutrients. More than 80% of respondents for all aging groups did not met the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) for vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, folate, calcium and zinc. In women, MCI respondents were more likely to have an inadequate intake of vitamin A, C, riboflavin and iron followed by UA and SA. Inadequate vitamin E, niacin, folate and calcium were prevalent among all gender and aging groups. There is a need to further distinguish specific dietary patterns associated with these three aging groups to promote optimal nutrient intake for cognitive health.
Introduction: This study aimed to identify dietary patterns (DPs) and their
association with successful aging (SA). Methods: A comparative cross-sectional
study was conducted among 579 elderly subjects recruited from four states in
Malaysia through a multistage random sampling method. SA was defined as having
no chronic illnesses, no functional limitation, normal global function, no depression,
a good quality of life and good self-perceived health. Information on dietary intake was
obtained using a diet history questionnaire. Cognitive functions were assessed using
the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), depressive symptoms using Geriatric
Depression Score-15 items (GDS-15) and a question regarding their perceived health
and quality of life. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily
Living (IADL) questionnaires were used to determine functional status. DPs were
obtained using the principal component analysis (PCA) approach. An ordinal logistic
regression model was used to examine associations between DP scores and SA.
Results: Five DPs were identified namely ‘sweet foods-beverages’, ‘meat-vegetablesrice and noodles’, ‘local snacks-fish and seafood-high salt foods’, ‘fruits-legumes’, and
‘tropical fruits-oats’. A higher score for ‘tropical fruits-oats’ DP was associated with
SA [Adjusted OR=1.59 (95% CI: 1.08-2.32)]. However, the association diminished
when the model was adjusted for education level. Further analysis indicated that
this DP increased the chance of SA among those with secondary education and above
[Adjusted OR=2.43 (95% CI: 1.09–5.42)]. Conclusion: ‘Tropical fruits-oats’ DP is
associated with SA among elderly with secondary education and above. There is a
need to investigate DPs among those with lower education.