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The nutritional status of 91 non-institutionalized elderly persons from the Zurich area, aged between 63 and 83 years, was investigated. Three different methods were used to establish the food intake and the nutritional status of these volunteers, respectively: (1) chemical determination of the nutrient content of the daily consumed food; (2) calculation of its nutrient content based on the interviews with the volunteers, and (3) assessment of the vitamin (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C) and iron status by various biochemical and chemical assays. Additionally, weight, height, and blood pressure of each person were recorded and hemoglobin concentration, red and white blood cell counts, hematocrit, serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and blood sugar determined. The results of the three methods were compared. The values of the interview method based on a questionnaire, and the assessment of the vitamin and iron status agreed well with each other. They showed that the nutrient intake covered the RDA, and vitamin and iron intake of the elderly were satisfactory with a few exceptions. The nutrient content of the daily meals determined by chemical methods was lower than the calculated results based on the interviews. The possible reasons for this discrepancy as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the employed methods are discussed.

A re-investigation of the use of the transketolase-TPP-effect for the assessment of the thiamine status of chronic alcoholics with various degrees of liver cirrhosis was carried out on 36 alcoholics. The extent of the liver damage in these patients was established by clinical examinations and biochemical tests. Fourteen persons showed no significant hepatic abnormalities, 5 patients had compensated liver cirrhosis, 7 slightly decompensated, and 10 patients suffered from severely decompensated liver cirrhosis. This investigation shows that the transketolase-TPP-effect is also present in patients even with severe liver cirrhosis and that a decrease of the TPP-effect can be observed after oral thiamine administration in these subjects. The TPP-effect of patients with compensated liver cirrhosis was markedly smaller than that of the subjects with slightly or severely decompensated cirrhosis. Accordingly a relationship exists between the TPP-effect and the degree of liver damage. No other correlations however could be established in this respect.