NUTRITION, AGING AND ILL HEALTH

Citation
Se. Gariballa et Aj. Sinclair, NUTRITION, AGING AND ILL HEALTH, British Journal of Nutrition, 80(1), 1998, pp. 7-23
Citations number
148
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Review
Categorie Soggetti
Nutrition & Dietetics
ISSN journal
0007-1145
Volume
80
Issue
1
Year of publication
1998
Pages
7 - 23
Database
ISI
SICI code
0007-1145(1998)80:1<7:NAAIH>2.0.ZU;2-X
Abstract
There are physical, mental, social and environmental changes which tak e place with ageing; for example, decreased physical activity, increas e in body fat, decrease in lean body mass and consequently decreased e nergy intake may be associated with physiological functions that affec t metabolism, nutrient intake, physical activity and risk of disease. There are now many studies which have found that undernutrition is pre valent and often unrecognized in patients admitted to hospitals and in stitutions. There is also evidence which Links protein-energy undernut rition or its markers with clinical outcomes in acute and non-acute ho spital settings and that nutritional supplements can improve outcomes in some of these settings. However, most clinically-available nutritio n screening instruments lack sensitivity and specificity, and abnormal nutritional indicators may simply reflect effects of age, functional disability, or severe underlying disease. Thus, causal relationship ca nnot be assumed without a sufficiently powerful intervention study whi ch adequately adjusts for the effects of non-nutritional factors, such as the number and severity of co-morbid conditions on clinical outcom e.