[Study of the nutritional status of elders in Cantabria]. / Estudio del estado nutricional de los ancianos de Cantabria.

INTRODUCTION: Population ageing is a main concern under the biosanitary point of view. AIM: To assess the nutritional status of people 65 year-old and older in Cantabria (Spain) METHOD: A total of 1605 persons were studied by means of the MNA (Mini Nutritional Assessment); a) by primary care (59.9% in the unit, and 4.7% at home) and, b) in nursing homes (35.4%). RESULTS: Nutritional score (NS) was 23.4 ± 4.1 for women and 24.4 ± 4 in males (p < 0.001). We emphasize the fact that 22.3% of people studied in the nursing homes were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, compared with 14.2% of those studied at the unit, and only 3.3% of the home visited elders. The correlation between the value of the NS and the subjective estimation of nutrition status showed a high value (0.65). We emphasize the negative correlation (-0.53) between BNI value and the incidence of skin lesions. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the importance of identifying malnutrition or its risk in elders in order to prevent the negative consequences of this deficiency.

Estudio del estado nutricional de los ancianos de Cantabria / Study of the nutritional status of elders in Cantabria

Introducción: El envejecimiento de la población representa uno de los retos más importantes desde el punto de vista biosanitario Objetivo: Valorar el estado nutricional de las personas de 65 y más años de Cantabria. Métodos: Un total de 1605 personas fueron evaluadas por medio del MNA; a) en atención primaria (59,9% en la consulta y 4,7% en domicilios) y, b) en residencias de ancianos (35,4%).Resultados: La puntuación nutricional (PN) obtenida de la suma de los ítems del MNA fue 23,4 ± 4,1 para las mujeres y 24,4 ± 4 en los varones (p < 0,001). Destaca el hecho de que el 22,3% de las personas estudiadas en residencias está malnutrida o en riesgo de malnutrición, frente al 14,2% de las que acuden a consulta, y sólo el3,3% de las estudiadas en su domicilio. La correlación entre los valores de la PN y la apreciación subjetiva del estado de nutrición mostró un valor elevado (0,65). Destacamos la correlación negativa (-0,53) entre los valores del IMC y la incidencia de lesiones cutáneas. Conclusiones: Nuestros resultados indican la importancia de la identificación de la desnutrición o su riesgo, en personas mayores, por las consecuencias negativas que presenta este estado carencial (AU)

Introduction: Population ageing is a main concern under the biosanitary point of view. Aim: To assess the nutritional status of people 65 year old and older in Cantabria (Spain) Method: A total of 1605 persons were studied by means of the MNA (Mini Nutritional Assessment); a) by primary care (59.9% in the unit, and 4.7% at home) and, b) in nursing homes (35.4%).Results: Nutritional score (NS) was 23.4 ± 4.1 for women and 24.4 ± 4 in males (p < 0.001). We emphasize the fact that 22.3% of people studied in the nursing homes were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, compared with 14.2% of those studied at the unit, and only 3.3% of the home visited elders. The correlation between the value of the NS and the subjective estimation of nutrition status showed a high value (0.65).We emphasize the negative correlation (-0.53) between BNI value and the incidence of skin lesions. Conclusion: Our results highlight the importance of identifying malnutrition or its risk in elders in order to prevent the negative consequences of this deficiency (AU)

Arsenic uptake and accumulation in curly endives (Cichorium endivia L.) irrigated with contaminated water.

Arsenic accumulation in vegetables for direct human consumption represents a concern for food safety purposes. This potential problem can be of economic importance particularly in much appreciated, high-quality horticultural products. In this work, a greenhouse set of experiments were conducted to evaluate possible phytotoxic effects and arsenic accumulation in the production of curly endives with arsenic contaminated water.Two concentration levels (0.5 mg/L and 1.0 mg/L) and two arsenic species (As+3 and As+5) were considered. Dry mass production tended to be reduced as As+3 concentration increased in irrigation water. However, As+5 treatments did not show significant dry mass production differences with a blank (control experiment). As accumulation in plant increased with As concentration in irrigation waters, following a linear trend. Nevertheless, the increase of accumulated As was not statistically significant for As+5 at 0.5 mg/L. Calculated biological absorption coefficients resulted in higher than previous values reported in the literature, which was attributed here to the source of arsenic (irrigation water). Considering field values for As+5/As+3 ratio and averaged concentrations in water, the obtained results support that there is not a short-or medium-term risk to food safety in the curly endive crop in the region of Castilla y León (Spain).