Dietary habits and their association with blood pressure among elderly Icelandic people

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/Open Allur texti - Full textOBJECTIVE: Prevalence of hypertension, which is the most common risk factor for cardiovascular disease in elderly people, increases with age. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between diet and blood pressure in elderly Icelanders, with focus on cod liver oil, and to compare their diet to dietary guidelines. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Diet was assessed using three-day weighed food records and blood pressure was measured after a 12-hour-fast in 236, 65-91 years old, Icelanders living in the capital area of Iceland. 99 men (42%) and 137 women (58%) participated in the study. RESULTS: According to Nordic nutrition recommendations, intake of nutrients was above lower intake levels among the majority of participants. However, 19% were under this level for vitamin-D, 13% for iodine, 17% of men for vitamin-B6, and 26% and 12% of men and women, respectively, for iron. Systolic blood pressure was inversely associated with cod liver oil intake, even when adjusted for age, body mass index, gender, and antihypertensive medications (P=0.01). Intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids correlated with blood pressure in a similar way. Other dietary factors were not associated with blood pressure. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that intake of cod liver oil is associated with lower blood pressure among elderly people and may therefore have beneficial effects on health. A notable proportion of participants was at risk of vitamin D, vitamin B6, iodine, and iron deficiency.Tilgangur: Tíðni langvinnra sjúkdóma, svo sem háþrýstings, eykst með hækkandi aldri, en fæðuvenjur og aðrir lífsstílsþættir geta haft áhrif á þessa þróun. Þar sem háþrýstingur er einn helsti áhættuþáttur hjarta- og æðasjúkdóma meðal eldra fólks eru tengsl mataræðis og blóðþrýstings mikilvægt rannsóknarefni. Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að kanna tengsl fæðuþátta, sérstaklega lýsis, við blóðþrýsting meðal eldri Íslendinga á höfuðborgarsvæðinu og meta fæðuneyslu þeirra með samanburði við íslenskar og norrænar ráðleggingar um mataræði og næringarefni. Efniviður og aðferðir: Þátttakendur voru 236 talsins, 65 til 91 árs gamlir Íslendingar af höfuðborgarsvæðinu. Níutíu og níu karlar (42%) og 137 konur (58%) tóku þátt. Mataræði þeirra var metið með þriggja daga veginni fæðuskráningu og blóðþrýstingur mældur eftir 12 tíma föstu. Niðurstöður: Flestir þátttakendur fengu meira en lágmarksskammt af öllum nauðsynlegum næringarefnum. Hins vegar fengu 19% minna en lágmarksskammt af D-vítamíni, 13% af joði, 17% karla af B6-vítamíni, og 26% karla og 12% kvenna af járni. Marktæk neikvæð fylgni var á milli lýsisneyslu og slagbilsþrýstings. Þessi tengsl voru enn til staðar eftir að leiðrétt hafði verið fyrir aldri, þyngdarstuðli, kyni og inntöku á blóðþrýstingslækkandi lyfjum (p=0,01). Neysla á löngum ómega-3 fitusýrum tengdist slagbilsþrýstingi einnig marktækt. Aðrir fæðuþættir tengdust ekki blóðþrýstingi. Ályktanir: Niðurstöður benda til þess að neysla á lýsi sé tengd lægri blóðþrýstingi meðal eldra fólks og hafi á þann hátt jákvæð áhrif á heilsufar. Stór hluti þátttakenda var í áhættuhópi vegna skorts á D-vítamíni, B6-vítamíni, joði og járni

Determinants of physical function in community dwelling old people

Funding Information: The trial is registered at the US National Library of Medicine (No. NCT01074879). Funding Information: This study was part of the IceProQualita project, which was funded by the Icelandic Technology Development Fund (No 071323008), Research Fund of the University of Iceland, a grant from Landspitali University Hospital Research Fund and the Helga Jonsdottir and Sigurlidi Kristjansson Geriatric Research Fund. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, Pacini Editore S.p.A./AU-CNS. All rights reserved.Background. Poor physical function is associated with disability and mortality in old people. Objectives. The aim was to find determinants of physical function in old people. Design. Secondary, cross-sectional analysis. Setting. Community in the Reykjavik, Iceland. Participants. 236 old people (73.7 ± 5.7 years, 58.2% female). Measurements. Timed-up-and-go (TUG), six-minute-walk-for-distance (6MWD), anthropometrics, quadriceps strength, dietary intake, mini-mental-state-examination (MMSE), leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and blood variables were assessed. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used. Results. There were differences between men and women in energy intake, body composition and muscular strength, but physical function did not differ between men and women. In bivariate analysis, most of the assessed variables correlated with 6MWD and TUG. Stepwise lin-ear models showed that age, body composition, strength, medication, LTPA and MMSE were predictors of physical function but not hematological variables. The association between MMSE and function disappeared when corrected for strength/body weight. Results were similar for both 6MWD and TUG and the strongest predictors in the final models were age and quadriceps strength/body weight. Conclusions. In community dwelling old people, physical function decreases with age. However, it is of clinical relevance that there are modifiable determinants of physical function, in particular strength for a given body weight, LTPA and number of medications, which represent potential targets to maintain physical function in this age group. Our results also indicate that neither cognitive function, nor dietary intake nor blood chemical variables were independently associated with physical function.Peer reviewe