Less protein and fiber linked to poor appetites in older adults

07 Aug 2017 --- Older adults with poor appetites eat much less protein and dietary fiber than those with healthier appetites, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Older people also eat fewer solid foods, protein-rich foods, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. The study is the latest to make clear the benefits of improving nutrition in older adults, as it also found that people with poor appetite did eat or drink more dairy foods, fats, oils, sweets and sodas compared to older adults who reported having very good appetites. 

Differences in food intake
Data from 2,597 people between the ages of 70 and 79 were provided to the researchers. Nearly 22 percent of the people in the study described their appetite as “poor.” The researchers interviewed the participants using a 108-item survey to estimate how much food they ate.

Having a poor appetite is a serious health concern for older adults. It can lead to inadequate nutrition, which can shorten lives or reduce quality of life. Between 11 percent and 15 percent of older adults who live independently are estimated by the researchers to have poor appetites.

Strategies to improve appetites as people age include reduced portion sizes, increased meal frequency and the use of flavor enhancers. However, until recently these options had not proven to improve food intake or quality of life for older people. That's part of the reason why a team of researchers designed a study to examine the differences in food intake among older adults with varied appetite levels.

“The results of this study show several differences in food consumption among older, independent adults with various appetite levels,” write the researchers of their findings. The team concludes that identifying the specific food preferences of older adults with poor appetites could be helpful for learning how to help improve their appetite and the quality of their diets.

Hot topic
The results of the study could be of interest to several nutritional companies, as nutritional products and supplements for an ageing population are a popular trend in the industry at the moment. 

“Elderly people do not eat as much as younger people and so they also run the risk of having certain nutrient deficiencies,” Klaus Brockhausen, Sales Director at Dr. Paul Lohmann, tells NutritionInsight in a May interview. He adds that the addition of minerals can be effective in the diets of elderly people.

“The main application forms here are in food supplements. We do not see general food for seniors; sometimes you see products that are rich in calcium, referring to bone health concepts. This is perhaps the only thing that elderly consumers are aware of when it comes to front-of-pack claims. If they need additional nutrients, they usually get through food supplements,” Brockhausen says.

“If you look at the consumer trends, the share of people over 60 years of age grows by roughly 3 percent per year and this is twice [the amount that] the general population grows [by],” Dr. Ludger Eilers, Head of Evonik Health Care’s Food Segment, tells NutritionInsight. “This is a growing market and the elderly are particularly interested in products and neutraceuticals that work.”

“In the US health care system the spending per capita is more than US$9000 per year, which amounts to almost 20 percent of the GDP per capita. It's clear that this is a tremendous opportunity for neutraceutical producers and … I believe only 3 percent [of this money is] spent on prevention, 97 percent is spent on curing diseases,” Eilers points out. “So we believe healthy aging, in combination with addressing and reducing health care costs and providing opportunities for consumers to maintain their health with supplements that actually work, is worth focusing on.”

There are therefore several opportunities in the future for products that might help in elderly health areas. For example, Eilers talks about sarcopenia, which he says is not well known among consumers: “Sarcopenia is age related muscle loss. If you are older than 45 years age, you lose 1 percent of your lean muscle mass per year. Just imagine what this means for the elderly. If the industry could come up with an ingredient addressing sarcopenia, this would really have a bright future and would be [very on-trend for] healthy aging.”