Dietary strategies for improving folate status in institutionalized elderly persons.

The aim of this work was to compare the efficacy of two strategies designed to improve folate status: increasing the intake of vegetables, and the consumption of a folic acid-fortified food. Residents (126) from three old people's homes in the Madrid region (Spain) were studied. To each centre a dietary intervention was assigned to be followed for 6 months: (1) the consumption of margarine fortified with 200 microg folic acid/10 g portion (centre M), (2) increasing the consumption of vegetables to three servings per day (centre V), (3) control (centre C).

Concern regarding bodyweight and energy balance in a group of female university students from Madrid: differences with respect to body mass index.

Objective: There are powerful social and psychological motivators that oblige a high proportion of women to restrict their energy intake for purely aesthetic reasons. The purpose of this research was to assess the relationships between concern regarding body weight and energy balance in a group of female university students from Madrid, Spain, with respect to differences in body mass index (BMI).

Design: 126 subjects completed a questionnaire asking if they were happy with their body weight, if they considered themselves fat, and if they would like to lose some weight.