Thiamine Status of Healthy and Institutionalized Elderly Subjects: Analysis of Dietary Intake and Biochemical Indices

• Published in: Age and ageing Vol. 19; no. 5; pp. 325 - 329
• Main Authors: O'ROURKE, NICHOLAS P., BUNKER, VALDA W., THOMAS, ANITA J., FINGLAS, PAUL M., BAILEY, ANGELA L., CLAYTON, BARBARA E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01-09-1990; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged patients; Aged, 80 and over; Diet; Diet & nutrition; Elderly; Elderly patients; Erythrocytes - enzymology; Female; Food and nutrition; Health; Health aspects; Hospitalization; Humans; Male; Older people; Pyrophosphates; Thiamine - administration & dosage; Thiamine - blood; Thiamine Pyrophosphate - blood; Transketolase - blood; Vitamins
• ISSN: 0002-0729; 1468-2834
• DOI: 10.1093/ageing/19.5.325

Thiamine status was assessed in healthy young and elderly subjects and institutionalized elderly patients by measuring dietary intake, erythrocyte levels of thiamine and the activity of the thiamine-dependent enzyme, erythrocyte transketolase, with and without the addition of excess thiamine pyrophosphate (the TPP effect). Healthy elderly subjects had a reduced intake of thiamine compared with the younger subjects but erythrocyte levels of thiamine and the TPP effect were comparable, suggesting adequate thiamine status. The institutionalized elderly patients had a low intake of thiamine compared with the healthy elderly as well as abnormal biochemical indices suggestive of suboptimal thiamine status Thiamine deficiency does not appear to be a problem in healthy elderly people but those in institutions are at risk of deficiency which might adversely affect their clinical state.