Anthropometry, lipid- and vitamin status of 215 health-conscious Thai elderly

A survey was carried out on 59 males and 146 females aged 60 years and above from a special clinic for the elderly in Bangkok. All of these subjects had no major complaints of ill health and, judging by their appearance, they seemed to be apparently healthy. 6.8% of the males and 11% of the females were found to be over-nourished. Less than 15% of all the individuals under investigation were suffering from hypertension, hyperglycaemia and hyperuricaemia. 35% of the males but only 13% of the females were anemic. The lipid status of the females was generally worse with statistically higher median values for total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides than the males. There was no significant difference in the variation of HDL-cholesterol between the sexes. High vitamin C, B2 and B6 deficiency rates were observed in both the males and the females.