Table 3.
Clinical and biochemical characteristics and the daily intake subgroup analysis.
| Patients with Constipation (n = 30) | Patients without Constipation (n = 89) | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 77.2 ± 8.3 | 74.5 ± 7.4 | 0.090 |
| Gender (M/F) | 16/14 | 37/52 | 0.134 |
| Mini-Mental State Examination | 16.9 ± 7.7 | 20.4 ± 5.9 | 0.028 * |
| Clinical dementia rating (0.5/1) | 18/12 | 64/25 | 0.082 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 24.8 ± 3.8 | 24.6 ± 4.0 | 0.877 |
| Exercise habit | 17 (56.7%) | 60 (67.4%) | 0.178 |
| Medication | |||
| Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors | 14 (46.7%) | 33 (37.1%) | 0.152 |
| Antipsychotic medications | 2 (6.7%) | 7 (7.9%) | 0.788 |
| Comorbidity | |||
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 12 (40%) | 26(29.2%) | 0.161 |
| Hypertension, % | 18 (60%) | 44 (49.4%) | 0.295 |
| Hyperlipidemia, % | 5 (16.7%) | 19 (21.3%) | 0.427 |
| Coronary artery disease, % | 6 (20%) | 13 (14.6%) | 0.306 |
| Chronic kidney disease, % | 2 (6.7%) | 6 (6.7%) | 0.630 |
| Biochemistry | |||
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 12.60 ± 1.91 | 13.23 ± 1.79 | 0.106 |
| Total Cholesterol, mg/dL | 174.55 ± 40.30 | 188.21 ± 41.33 | 0.124 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 121.37 ± 81.87 | 119.08 ± 64.85 | 0.876 |
| HbA1c, % | 6.21 ± 1.20 | 6.18 ± 1.75 | 0.927 |
| Homocysteine, umole/L | 19.97 ± 9.94 | 15.99 ± 17.58 | 0.251 |
| Vitamin B12, pg/mL | 619.07 ± 457.01 | 830.88 ± 876.13 | 0.209 |
| Folate, ng/mL | 11.82 ± 10.46 | 11.82 ± 9.06 | 0.999 |
| Mini-Nutritional Assessment | 22.6 ± 2.9 | 24.2 ± 3.5 | 0.029 * |
| Number of with risk malnutrition, n (%) | 18 (60%) | 34 (38.2%) | 0.031 * |
| Daily intake | |||
| Total caloric, kcal | 1552.80 ± 636.82 | 1492.02 ± 571.41 | 0.625 |
| Carbohydrate, as % of total energy | 61.11 ± 13.70 | 59.94 ± 11.41 | 0.678 |
| Lipid, as % of total energy | 14.23 ± 4.48 | 14.20 ± 4.14 | 0.974 |
| Protein, as % of total energy | 25.18 ± 11.53 | 26.69 ± 9.88 | 0.462 |
| Calcium, mg | 353.34 ± 249.71 | 402.84 ± 270.87 | 0.380 |
| Fiber, gm | 11.90 ± 5.99 | 13.67 ± 9.56 | 0.343 |
| Salt (Sodium), mg | 955.28 ± 1115.80 | 818.91 ± 592.19 | 0.527 |
| Water, mL | 546.81 ± 240.01 | 808.04 ± 404.24 | 0.001 * |
Note: Mini-Nutritional Assessment scores below 23.5 were defined as being at risk and 24–30 was defined as a normal nutritional status. A chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables. Mann–Whitney U tests were applied to compare the differences between groups. Significance was set at p < 0.05. * p < 0.05.