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Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 22, No. 3, 232-238 (2003)
Published by the American College of Nutrition

Original Research

Biochemical Antioxidant Levels Respond to Supplementation with an Enriched Drink in Frail Elderly People

Wendeline Wouters-Wesseling, PhD, Lisette W. Wagenaar, MSc, Lisette C.P.G.M. de Groot, PhD, Jacques G. Bindels, PhD and Wija A. van Staveren, PhD

Numico Research B.V., Department of Clinical Nutrition and Diets (W.W.-W., L.W.W., J.G.B.), Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Department of Human Nutrition and Epidemiology, Wageningen University (L.C.P.G.M.d.G., J.G.B., W.A.v.S.), Wageningen, The Netherlands

Address correspondence to: Wendeline Wouters-Wesseling, PhD, Numico Research B.V., P.O. Box 7005, 6700 CA Wageningen, THE NETHERLANDS. E-mail: Wendeline.Wouters-Wesseling{at}numico-research.nl

Objective: To investigate whether a drink enriched with essential vitamins and minerals can improve biochemical status of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in frail elderly people.

Methods: A six-month randomized, double blind, placebo controlled intervention study. Frail elderly people 65 years of age or older, with a body mass index (BMI) below 25 kg/m2 and residing in a home for the elderly or in sheltered housing. Enriched (with essential vitamins and minerals in 30% to 150% of RDA and higher levels of antioxidants) drink (n = 28) or placebo (n = 27) to be taken twice a day in addition to the normal food consumed. Plasma levels of vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxidant capacity (TEAC), cysteine, uric acid and whole blood levels of total thiol and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), dietary intake.

Results: Changes in vitamin E (16 ± 2 vs. 2 ± 1 mmol/L), vitamin C (37 ± 5 vs. 1 ± 5 mmol/L), TEAC (38 ± 15 vs. -10 ± 11 mmol/L Trolox eq) and cysteine (17 ± 10 vs. 0.4 ± 6 mmol/L) were significantly different between groups (p < 0.05). There was a trend towards significant changes in erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (-0.2 ± 3 vs. -10 ± 7 U/mg Hb, p = 0.097). Baseline dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins was below 2/3 RDA for a substantial proportion (43% to 76%) of subjects.

Conclusions: Supplementation with an enriched drink can raise plasma levels of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in frail elderly people.

Key words: elderly people, nutrition, antioxidant, supplementation






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