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Nutritional support and aging in preoperative nutrition
F Nourhashemi1, S Andrieu, O Rauzy
1Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Gerontology, Toulouse University Hospital, France.
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
|August 24, 1999
Summary
Malnutrition significantly impacts the elderly, especially those with declining health. Early nutritional assessment using tools like the Mini Nutritional Assessment is crucial for effective treatment and improved outcomes in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Nutrition
- Clinical Nutrition
- Public Health
Background:
- Increased interest in geriatric nutrition over 20 years.
- Malnutrition prevalence in the elderly is linked to health status and autonomy.
- Prevalence ranges from low in healthy free-living individuals to 30-65% in care settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the distribution and magnitude of nutritional problems in the elderly.
- To address the lack of validated tools for nutritional assessment in older persons.
- To highlight the importance of nutritional assessment in geriatric evaluations.
Main Methods:
- Development and validation of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) tool.
- Utilized large, representative samples of elderly persons for validation.
- Reviewed experimental studies on nutritional support interventions.
Main Results:
- The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) was developed to specifically assess nutritional status in older adults.
- Advanced malnutrition is more challenging to treat in the elderly compared to younger adults.
- Nutritional support trials (oral supplements, tube feeding) show improved outcomes for identified malnourished patients.
Conclusions:
- Formal nutritional assessment is often missing in geriatric care programs.
- The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) provides a validated tool for assessing elderly nutritional status.
- Early identification and nutritional support are vital for improving health outcomes in malnourished older adults.