Fatty acid nutriture in hospitalized elderly women.

Objective: The aim of this study was to measure the fatty acid (FA) dietary intakes and the FA composition of plasma total lipids in a selected group of hospitalized elderly patients.

Methods: Twenty-three women aged 76 to 99 years were recruited. FA were analyzed in 5-day duplicate portions and in plasma by gas liquid chromatography.

Results: The hospitalized elderly women ingested an average of 5.22 megajoules (MJ) and 45.9 g of lipids per day. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) represented 11.0% and saturated fatty acids (SFA) 53.6% of the lipid intake. Minimal recommendations for linoleic acid intake were reached in average, but 32% of the patients ingested less than 3 g of linoleic acid/d. Eighty-six percent received less than 0.5% of energy for alpha-linolenic acid and 64% had low intakes in very long-chain n-3 FA. In parallel, these patients presented several biochemical signs of essential fatty acids (EFA) insufficiency (decrease in linoleic acid, increase in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), in n-7 FA and in indexes of delta-6 and delta-9 desaturase activities).

Conclusions: Hospitalized elderly patients have low PUFA intakes and show biochemical indices of EFA insufficiency. These patients might benefit from a nutritional supplementation providing both EFA and antioxidant micronutrients to limit the risk of skin troubles, immune system impairment and vascular disease often observed in institutionalized elderly subjects.