Özet:

Introduction and Objective: Changes due to aging interfere with nutritional status of the elderly, increasing the risk of chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status of elderly from Embu-Guaçu-SP and characterize this population according to socio-demographic variables, body composition and food consumption. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study with a sample of 40 elderly people of both sexes submitted to a nutritional risk assessment (reduced MNA), anthropometric (weight and height), body composition (bio impedance) and food consumption (3-day record). Results: The mean age of participants was 68.8 ± 5.7. None of the elderly presented risk of malnutrition. 66% of women and 62.5% of men were classified as being overweight (BMI), but all had excess body fat. The elderly who consumed less than 1g of protein/kg of body weight showed lower energy consumption (kcal), lower carbohydrate consumption (in relation to body weight), protein (kcal, grams, % and relative to body weight) and lipids (kcal and in relation to body weight), but higher BMI, % fat and proportion of dietary carbohydrate. Discussion: Despite a low energy consumption, the percentage of excessive weight in the sample was high. Older people with low socioeconomic status are more prone to a poor diet, with tendency to increase the prevalence of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases. Conclusion: The elderly evaluated were overweight and had a low energy consumption, and those with higher protein intake had lower BMI and % body fat, but higher lipid intake.

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