FOOD SOURCES OF NUTRIENTS OF THE DIET OF ELDERLY ITALIANS .2. MICRONUTRIENTS

The foods which contribute most to the intake of selected vitamins and minerals were evaluated for the elderly in Italy and compared to food sources of nutrients in the US. A sample of 945 Italians, aged greate r-than-or-equal-to 60, from 14 centres throughout Italy, each complete d weighed 7-day food records during the period 1983-1987. These data w ere used to quantify the contribution of individual foods to the total intake of and variability in intake of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin , vitamin C, calcium, and iron. In addition, those foods contributing most to micronutrient intake for the Italians were compared to those f oods contributing most for the elderly in the US as recorded by the NH ANES II Survey (1976-1980). Overall, there was a preponderance of vege table rather than animal sources, and of less processed food sources i n Italy. In Italy, wine was an important source of several nutrients, including iron and riboflavin. These data are useful for characterizin g diet in a well-nourished population with marked differences in diet from the US. They may also form the basis for a quantitative food freq uency questionnaire for epidemiological studies in Italy.