Assessment of the zinc nutritional status of selected elderly subjects.

Elderly participants (with a mean age range of 71 to 75 years) residing in two housing complexes in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, can generally be characterized as predominantly women with a low socioeconomic status living alone. A majority of the participants consumed less than the RDA for food energy. The protein intake was nearly equal to or exceeded the RDA; however, the mean intake of zinc was only half of the RDA. The mean hair zinc concentration of the participants corresponded with the levels reported for this age group by other researchers. Their mean taste thresholds were higher (lower taste acuity) than those reported for young adults. Detection thresholds decreased as the ages of the participants increased. The taste acuity of the participants resembled that of groups of elderly studied by other investigators. A precise definition of low zinc status measurements among the elderly is not available at this time. However, the low hair zinc concentrations and taste acuity, compounded with the low zinc intake, indicate that this population is at risk for zinc deficiency.