Weight changes in Alzheimer's disease patients with increased aberrant motor behavior

Abstract

Older adults with moderate AD and "significant AMB" do gain weight.

Improving food intake in persons living with dementia

“…It has also been proposed that starting at a higher BMI provides a cushion for dementia progression . Yet, weight gain following diagnosis has also been seen, including in persons with aberrant motor behaviors (e.g., wandering), which can lead to increased energy requirements, but the maintenance of weight suggests that food intake can compensate for this increased activity . The lack of consistency in the recent research could be explained, in part, by the use of cholinesterase inhibitors in community‐living persons with dementia, which may decrease the risk of weight loss .…”

“…The lack of consistency in the recent research could be explained, in part, by the use of cholinesterase inhibitors in community‐living persons with dementia, which may decrease the risk of weight loss . In addition, there has been greater recognition of the potential for weight loss following diagnosis and the identification of risk factors for impaired food intake in community‐living persons with dementia; improved community services and their use may also explain why weight gain has been seen in some observational studies …”

“…For those with mid‐ to late‐stage dementia living in residential care, the prevalence of these behaviors can be quite high: dysphagia (22%); inability to handle current diet texture (46%); difficulty with utensils (14%); taking more than 25 min to eat (32%); playing with food (8%); eating others’ food (5%); agitation (30%); requiring partial (16%) or full assistance (13%) for eating; and resisting assistance (22%), have all been described . Approximately one in five community participants in the REAL.FR study had an appetite or eating abnormality, although these challenges were not specified . A range of eating behaviors have been noted for community‐living persons with dementia, including eating too quickly, food jags, increased pickiness, extensive chewing, dissecting food, eating with hands, distraction from eating, and difficulty choosing food from a menu .…”

“…8 Yet, weight gain following diagnosis has also been seen, [12][13][14] including in persons with aberrant motor behaviors (e.g., wandering), which can lead to increased energy requirements, but the maintenance of weight suggests that food intake can compensate for this increased activity. 15 The lack of consistency in the recent research could be explained, in part, by the use of cholinesterase inhibitors in communityliving persons with dementia, which may decrease the risk of weight loss. 9,16,17 In addition, there has been greater recognition of the potential for weight loss following diagnosis and the identification of risk factors for impaired food intake in communityliving persons with dementia; improved community services and their use may also explain why weight gain has been seen in some observational studies.…”

“…9,16,17 In addition, there has been greater recognition of the potential for weight loss following diagnosis and the identification of risk factors for impaired food intake in communityliving persons with dementia; improved community services and their use may also explain why weight gain has been seen in some observational studies. 15,17 Nutritional assessment Nutritional risk and/or malnutrition are often determined using the Mini Nutritional Assessment. Relatively large proportions of older adults living with dementia have been found to be malnourished or at risk of malnutrition in cross-sectional studies, with up to 50% in community and 56% in residential care populations being affected.…”