title: Nutritional status is strongly correlated with grip strength and depression in community-living elderly Japanese.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the utility of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) in assessing nutritional, physical and psychosocial functions in community-living elderly individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of elderly individuals investigated in August 2007 and August-September 2008. Nutritional status was assessed using serum biomarkers, anthropometric measurements and the MNA. Physical function was assessed by measuring grip strength and both usual and maximum walking speeds. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to measure the individual's depressive state.
  
  
  METHODS
  Elder-care facilities in Tokyo, Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-living elderly individuals aged ≥65 years (n 130).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MNA evaluation classified twenty-seven (20·8 %) individuals as being at risk for malnutrition (MNA score ≤23·5); these at-risk individuals included a high proportion of the elderly aged ≥75 years. MNA scores correlated with nutritional biomarkers (total protein, albumin, cholinesterase, Hb) and anthropometric measurements (triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, mid-arm muscle area) and exhibited a strong correlation with grip strength and GDS score. Multivariate analysis revealed that grip strength, GDS score, marital status and maximum walking speed are strong predictors of MNA score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MNA is considerably useful in providing a comprehensive assessment of nutritional status in elderly, community-living Japanese. However, larger-scale epidemiological studies are needed to determine the utility and the appropriate cut-off point of the MNA as a screen for risk of malnutrition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, Daito Bunka University, 560 Iwadono, Higashi-matsuyama, Saitama 355-8501, Japan. t-kabu@ic.daito.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaburagi
authors.forename: Reiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hirasawa
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshino
authors.forename: Yukino
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Odaka
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Satomi
authors.forename: Mana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Eka
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kabasawa
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014041:Tokyo / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers