Estudo do consumo alimentar, estilo de vida e risco de osteoporose em idosos acompanhados pelo NAI/UNATI/UERJ

Abstract

The absolute and relative increase in the elderly population in Brazil, taken place in the last 30 years, was associated with a epidemiological transition in the morbidity-mortality situation. Among the most common chronicle diseases to affect the elders osteoporosis stands out. This is a progressive disease, characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of the micro-architecture leading to a reduced bone strength and increased fracture risk. The present work analyzed the food consumption along with life style factors of a elderly population which attended to NAI/UNATI/UERJ; a multidisciplinary health center. The sample consisted of one hundred and forty eight seniors, which were one hundred sixteen females and thirty two males, which were submitted to interview, food consumption evaluation and anthropometric survey. The results showed that only a few of the seniors underwent any kind of osteoporosis-related nutritional orientation. The group showed a low consumption of vitamin K, potassium, magnesium and calcium, micronutrients associated with the maintenance of bone mass. They also showed low consumption of fruits and vegetables, leading to low fiber intake associated with a high protein consumption. We found subjects presenting either underweight or obesity, besides a high percentage of elderly women with an increased waist circumference, which is associated with a higher risk of developing chronicle non-transmissive diseases. Despite being a specific population, NAI patients, we observed indication of inadequate life style habits, as we found sedentariness (54%), smoking (9,45%) and ethylism (14,18%). Our conclusion is that the overall population and also the health care professionals should be educated about the major habits leading to prevention and control of osteoporosis, making it easier to apply more wide approaches. In the Nutrition field, it is necessary to perform more studies about the alkaline diet impact on bone health, as much as the development of a preventive nutritional protocol. It is also mandatory to evaluate alimentary habits and life style in the Brazilian elderly population not assisted by the health care basic system