title: A prospective study of nutrition education and oral nutritional supplementation in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Weight loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common clinical manifestation that may have clinical significance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate if there is a difference between nutrition education and oral nutritional supplementation on nutritional status in patients with AD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized, prospective 6-month study which enrolled 90 subjects with probable AD aged 65 years or older divided into 3 groups: Control Group (CG) [n = 27], Education Group (EG) [n = 25], which participated in an education program and Supplementation Group (SG) [n = 26], which received two daily servings of oral nutritional supplementation. Subjects were assessed for anthropometric data (weight, height, BMI, TSF, AC and AMC), biochemical data (total protein, albumin, and total lymphocyte count), CDR (Clinical Dementia Rating), MMSE (Mini-mental state examination), as well as dependence during meals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SG showed a significant improvement in the following anthropometric measurements: weight (H calc = 22.12, p =< 0.001), BMI (H calc = 22.12, p =< 0.001), AC (H calc = 12.99, p =< 0.002), and AMC (H calc = 8.67, p =< 0.013) compared to the CG and EG. BMI of the EG was significantly greater compared to the CG. There were significant changes in total protein (H calc = 6.17, p =< 0.046), and total lymphocyte count in the SG compared to the other groups (H cal = 7.94, p = 0.019).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral nutritional supplementation is more effective compared to nutrition education in improving nutritional status.
authors.affiliation: Department Neurology and Neurosurgery, Behaviour Neurology Section, Universidade Federal de São Paulo/UNIFESP-EPM, São Paulo, Brazil. glauciapivi@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Glaucia A K
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Pivi
authors.forename: Rosimeire V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Yara
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Juliano
authors.forename: Neil F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Novo
authors.forename: Ivan H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: César Q
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Brant
authors.forename: Paulo H F
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Bertolucci
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000178:diet therapy; D003704:Dementia; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044623:Nutrition Therapy; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015431:Weight Loss