Protein intake in hospitalized older people with and without increased risk of malnutrition

A protein intake of ≥1.2 grams per kg body weight (g/kg) is recommended for ill older adults. In a cross-sectional study, we investigated if this recommendation was met by 62 hospitalized adults of 65 years and older in a Dutch hospital. We compared protein intake between two subgroups based on the risk of malnutrition and the prescribed diet: a low risk group (n = 31) receiving a standard hospital diet and a medium/high risk group (n = 31) receiving a protein-enriched diet. A 24h-recall was performed to calculate protein intake per patient. Protein intake was on average 1.2 g/kg in the medium/high risk group and 0.9 g/kg in the low-risk group. Seventeen patients reached a protein intake of ≥1.2 g/kg. Fifteen patients had a protein intake below 0.8 g/kg. It seems sensible to consider providing a protein-enriched diet to all older hospitalized adults, regardless of their risk of malnutrition.