Riboflavin Requirement of Healthy Elderly Humans and Its Relationship to Macronutrient Composition of the Diet

The riboflavin requirements of two groups of riboflavin-deficient, but otherwise healthy, Gguatemalan elderly persons over the age of 60 y were studied by varying the fat:carbohydrate ratio in two diets. The first group consumed a diet similar in macronutrient content to a Western-type diet with low carbohydrate and high fat; the second group consumed a typical Guatemalan diet with high carbohydrate and low fat. Energy and protein intakes of both groups were similar. Riboflavin status was monitored by weekly measurements of erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient (EGRAC) and urinary riboflavin excretion