RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) has been proposed as a suitable tool to estimate the dietary antioxidant intake. However, the main foods/groups that contribute to the dietary TAC of older adults are poorly studied. We aimed to estimate the dietary TAC and to identify the main foods/groups that contribute to the dietary TAC of older adults in a medium-sized Brazilian city. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based survey with older adults (≥60 years old) was conducted in Viçosa, Brazil. The assessment tool for food consumption was the recall of habitual consumption. A database with ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values for foods to evaluate the dietary TAC was used. RESULTS: We evaluated 620 older adults in which the majority were women. The dietary TAC mean was 11.9 (7.1) mmol/d (food only) adjusted by energy. Besides, when supplements were considered the dietary TAC increased to 35.2 (215.9) mmol/d. The food groups that contributed the most to the dietary TAC were coffee and tea, vegetables, and fruits and juices. The coffee and tea group explained most of the variability of dietary TAC (58.3%). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that the older adults studied had a relatively low dietary TAC consumption. The coffee and tea were the food group that contribute the most to the dietary TAC. Our data show the need to implement national strategies aimed at improving the quality of the diet of older adults. We highlight the need to increase the consumption of different food groups and, consequently, the intake of different compounds with antioxidant capacity, which will contribute to a better dietary TAC with possible positive health effects.