Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, UK.
ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Age Ageing. 2024 Oct 1;53(10). doi: 10.1093/ageing/afae223.
Social isolation and loneliness are associated with increased risk of adverse health outcomes at older ages. This study evaluated whether isolation and loneliness are related to inadequate intake of micronutrients in the diet.
We tested associations between social isolation and loneliness and dietary micronutrient intake 2 years later in 3713 men and women (mean age 68.26, standard deviation 7.81 years) who completed two online 24-h dietary recalls. Associations of isolation and loneliness with intake of nine minerals and vitamins that fell below national recommendations were tested using logistic regressions, adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, education, marital status, smoking and physical activity and total energy intake.
The prevalence of low dietary intake varied markedly across micronutrients. Social isolation (1-point increase in a score ranging 0-5) was associated with increased odds (adjusted for covariates) of low intake of magnesium [odds ratio (OR) 1.153, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.037-1.282, P = .009], potassium (OR 1.201, 95% CI 1.087-1.327, P < .001), vitamin B6 (OR 1.263, 95% CI 1.110-1.438, P < .001), folate (OR 1.211, 95% CI 1.093-1.341, P < .001) and vitamin C (OR 1.238, 95% CI 1.098-1.394, P < .001). These associations remained unchanged when food insecurity and impaired activities of daily living were taken into account. By contrast, loneliness was not related to the inadequate intake of any micronutrient.
Low intake of micronutrients increases risk of age-related health problems. Attention to the dietary quality of older people with limited social contacts and little involvement in community activities might enhance health outcomes.
社会隔离和孤独与老年人健康状况恶化的风险增加有关。本研究评估了隔离和孤独是否与饮食中微量营养素摄入不足有关。
我们测试了 3713 名男性和女性（平均年龄 68.26 岁，标准差 7.81 岁）在完成两次在线 24 小时饮食回忆后 2 年内社会隔离和孤独与饮食微量营养素摄入之间的关联。使用逻辑回归测试了隔离和孤独与 9 种矿物质和维生素摄入不足的关联，这些维生素和矿物质的摄入量低于国家建议，调整了年龄、性别、种族、教育、婚姻状况、吸烟和身体活动以及总能量摄入等因素。
各种微量营养素的低饮食摄入率差异很大。社会隔离（评分 0-5 分增加 1 分）与低镁摄入的几率增加相关（调整了协变量）[比值比（OR）1.153，95%置信区间（CI）1.037-1.282，P=0.009]，钾（OR 1.201，95%CI 1.087-1.327，P<0.001）、维生素 B6（OR 1.263，95%CI 1.110-1.438，P<0.001）、叶酸（OR 1.211，95%CI 1.093-1.341，P<0.001）和维生素 C（OR 1.238，95%CI 1.098-1.394，P<0.001）。当考虑到食物不安全和日常活动能力受损时，这些关联仍然不变。相比之下，孤独与任何微量营养素摄入不足都没有关系。
微量营养素摄入不足会增加与年龄相关的健康问题的风险。关注社交联系有限、社区活动参与度低的老年人的饮食质量，可能会改善健康结果。
