Nutritional issues and considerations in the elderly: an update

Abstract

Nutritional aspects of some common clinical conditions of older age are often neglected. Therefore, the aim of this essay is to describe the prevalence, recognition, and general management of four common and interrelated clinical problems in the elderly: sarcopenia, dysphagia, chronic wounds, and dementia. In the modern era of clinical nutrition tailored to elderly patients, we should encourage a multidimensional personalized approach that includes assessment, counseling, dietary modification, targeted oral nutritional supplements, adjusted physical activity or therapy, and psychosocial support (1,2).

A simple remote nutritional screening tool and practical guidance for nutritional care in primary practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…These measures include physical therapy and/or resistance training together with nutrition support: supplementation with protein (1e1.5 g/kg/d), specific anabolic amino acids or their metabolites (b-hydroxy-b-methylbutyrate, leucine), and vitamin D (800e1000 IU/d). In sarcopenic obesity, we recommend an energy restricted diet, accompanied by supplementation with protein and the other key (pharmaco)nutrients, an approach that is even more challenging than the in case of malnutrition related sarcopenia [40,41]. Supplementation with protein and key nutrients can be performed by use of oral nutritional supplements (medical nutrition) and/or food supplements.…”

“…Clinical nutrition, which entails different modalities of feeding, from oral diet therapy to specialized artificial nutritional support (enteral or parenteral), is essential for the management of dysphagia. Changes in the consistency (modified texture) of foods and liquids and use of oral enteral formulas with adjusted texture may ease the ingestion process and help reduce the risk of aspiration [40], while enteral tube feeding should be considered for individuals with an unsafe swallow.…”

Best Practice Recommendations for Geriatric Dysphagia Management with 5 Ws and 1H

“… 12 , 69 ) Although protein and energy requirements decrease with age, they may increase with disease, inflammation, fever, and physical activity and cause increased morbidity and mortality. 74 ) This situation should not be seen only as a nutritional deficiency; thus, the experts strongly recommended that “ nutrition should be evaluated and treated in a multidisciplinary team, with a dietitian if possible; if there is no dietitian, this should be done by physicians or trained health personnel .”…”

“…75 , 76 ) In addition, recent guidelines published in recent years report that ONS can be used to increase nutritional intake and achieve nutritional goals in older people with malnutrition or at risk of malnutrition. 69 , 74 ) We recommended ONS to improve the nutritional status of older adults with dysphagia and to supplement deficiencies in appropriate patients in a team setting.…”

Haematococcus Pluvialis Extends Yeast Lifespan and Improves Slc25a46 Gene Knockout‐Associated Mice Phenotypic Defects

“…For example, it is known that aging is characterized by a loss of fitness and more than 70% of people over 65 years old have two or more phytoestrogens, probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids. [12] These substances have beneficial effect on the digestive and immune systems, and modulate inflammatory and degenerative processes in the body. But there is still the potential for discovering more potential bioactive substances from vast food resources for antiaging treatments.…”