Dietary Intakes of an Elderly Population in Athens, Greece

Despite a general agreement on the importance of diet on the health status of the elderly, there is very little information about the dietary intakes and eating habits of the Greek elderly. This study assesses the energy and nutrient intakes of 205 healthy elderly individuals in Athens, Greece. The participating subjects, aged 65-92 years, were divided into free living, home bound and institutionalized, according to their status. Results showed that women had lower energy intakes compared to men. Institutionalized individuals had lower intakes of energy and most nutrients, compared to the other two groups. Energy derived from fat was 36.5 to 40%. Vitamin and mineral intakes were adequate for most nutrients. Lower than recommended intakes were found only for vitamin B6 and zinc. A high mean intake of vitamin C and folic acid was found for all three groups.