Energy-dense meals improve energy intake in elderly residents in a nursing home.
BACKGROUND
Several studies have shown that malnutrition is common among nursing home residents.


OBJECTIVE
We hypothesized that addition of natural energy-dense ingredients to a standard diet would improve voluntary energy intake and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) and decrease infections in elderly residents under nursing home care.


METHODS
Thirty-five residents in a municipality nursing home (median age 83 years) were served either a standard diet (1600 kcal/day) (control group, n=18) or the same meals fortified with natural energy-dense ingredients (2100 kcal/day) (experimental group, n=17). Energy intake and ADL function were measured before and after the intervention. All episodes of infection were registered. Non-parametric statistics were used.


RESULTS
Energy intake increased in the experimental group from 23.5 (21.3-28.5) kcal/kg/body weight before, to 31.9 (29.7-33.7) kcal/kg/body weight during the intervention (P<0.001). There was no change in energy intake in the control group. ADL function in the experimental group was unchanged, while it decreased significantly in the control group (P<0.001). The number of infections tended to be lower in the experimental group than in the control group (5 vs 13). The cost for the energy-dense ingredients was approx. 0.11 EUR per resident and day.


CONCLUSIONS
Addition of natural energy-dense ingredients to regular meals is an inexpensive way to improve voluntary energy intake in elderly nursing home residents, a treatment that was accompanied by maintained ADL function.
Odlund Olin
A
A
Department of Surgery, Center for Surgical Sciences, and Elderly Care Research, Stockholm, Sweden.
Armyr
I
I
Soop
M
M
Jerstrom
S
S
Classon
I
I
Cederholm
T
T
Ljungren
G
G
Ljungqvist
O
O
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005527:Food, Fortified / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009753:Nutritive Value