Dietary Intake of Elderly Living in Toronto Long-Term Care Facilities: Comparison to the Dietary Reference Intake

Objective: To compare the dietary intake of elderly living in 11 long-term care facilities (LTCFs) to the Estimated Average Requirement set as part of the Dietary Reference Intake for older adults. Design: A cross-sectional assessment of dietary intake using a 3 days food record among 407 elderly with mean age of 85.2 ± 7.7 years and BMI of 23.8 ± 5.7 kg/m². This population sample was similar to the one living in LTCFs in the province of Ontario. Results: The daily energy intake was 1513 ± 363 kcal (6330.4 ± 1518.8 kJ). Percentage of energy from fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, protein, and carbohydrate were 30%, 11%, 5.2%, 15%, and 56%, respectively. Although these values were close to the recommendations, 29.5% had protein intake below the recommended 0.8 g/kg; and 38.3% of subjects had cholesterol intake more than the recommended 300 mg/d. More than 50% of the subjects had suboptimal intake of calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamins E, B₆, and folate. In addition, greater than 15% had suboptimal intakes of other micronutrients such as vitamins A, C, niacin, and copper. Conclusions: Elderly subjects living in LTCFs in Toronto despite having a normal body mass index (BMI), do not meet the recommended levels of intake for protein and many of the micronutrients. LTCFs staff should monitor dietary intake. Menu modification and micronutrient supplementation may be required in order to meet the daily requirements of these elderly.