Background: There is a strong north-south gradient of vascular disease in Britain, whose aetiology is not fully understood.
Objective: To test the hypothesis, in a cross-sectional survey of older people, that intakes and status indices for protective micronutrients, particularly those for which fruit and vegetables are rich sources, also vary on a north-south axis.
Design: The 1994-5 National Diet and Nutrition Survey of People Aged 65 Years and Over has provided a uniquely appropriate data-set for this purpose. The analysis, confined to free-living participants, compared nutrient intakes and status between people living in the north of Britain, from Scotland to Humberside, with those living south of the Wash, excluding the Midlands and Wales.
Results: Highly significant north-south differences, especially for vitamin C, but also to a significant extent for B-vitamins and carotenoids, indicated a more vitamin-rich diet, with more frequent use of vitamin supplements, in the south. Vitamin D status and fibre intakes were also higher in the south; sodium intake was greater in the north. Blood lipid indices did not, however, differ between north and south. North-south differences in the likelihood of receiving income support, of having manual socio-economic status and of smoking habit, appeared to be significant underlying socio-demographic factors.
Conclusion: These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that for older British people, differences in nutrient intake and status indices between the north and south of Britain run parallel with, and may contribute to, the north-south axis of vascular disease risk.