3.2. MV/MM Supplementation Improves and/or Prevents Declines in Blood Vitamin Biomarker Status
To assess the impact of MV/MM intake, blood samples from study participants were analyzed after the supplementation period, and comparisons were made within and between groups (Overall, the greatest and most concerted change associated with MV/MM supplementation was an increase in plasma concentrations of pyridoxal phosphate. An increase in plasma concentrations of this vitamin was noted for all study participants in the MV/MM (range: +9.8 to +42.6 ng/mL), whereas no overall changes were observed in the placebo group (By contrast, blood concentrations of these biomarkers declined in most men on the placebo supplement (MV/MM supplementation did not affect mineral blood biomarker concentrations in most participants (As expected, the changes in blood biomarker concentrations influenced the assessment of micronutrient status. Overall, most older men assigned to the MV/MM supplementation group during the study experienced an improvement in vitamin status (The changes in vitamin status did not seem to be specific to water-soluble or lipid-soluble vitamins, as similar changes were noted when status changes were separated into these categories. The general trends were towards increases in vitamin status for more individuals in the MV/MM group than the placebo group over time and that more individuals in the placebo group experienced a decline in vitamin status than in the MV/MM group by the end of the study (