title: The influence of nutritional supplement drinks on providing adequate calorie and protein intake in older adults with dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Investigate the impact of the provision of ONS on protein and energy intake from food and ability to meet protein and calorie requirements in people with dementia.
  
  
  METHODS
  After consent by proxy was obtained, participants took part in a cross over study comparing oral intake on an intervention day to an adjacent control day.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study occurred in Nursing homes and hospitalised settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Older adults with dementia over the age of 65 were recruited. 26 participants (aged 83.9+/-8.4years, MMSE 13.08+/-8.13) took part. Intervention (if any): On the intervention day nutritional supplement drinks were provided three times. Each drink provided 283.3+/-41.8 Kcal of energy and 13.8+/-4.7g of protein. Supplements were removed approximately 1 hour before meals were served and weighed waste (g) was obtained.
  
  
  METHODS
  Intake of food consumed was determined on intervention and control days using the quartile method (none, quarter, half, three quarters, all) for each meal component.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More people achieved their energy and protein requirements with the supplement drink intervention with no sufficient impact on habitual food consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings from these 26 participants with dementia indicate that supplement drinks may be beneficial in reducing the prevalence of malnutrition within the group as more people meet their nutritional requirements. As the provision of supplement drinks is also demonstrated to have an additive effect to consumption of habitual foods these can be used alongside other measures to also improve oral intake.
authors.affiliation: Victoria Allen, The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Reading, RG1 5AN and Clinical Health Sciences, The University of Reading, RG1 5AQ. UK, Email: victoria.j.allen@reading.ac.uk.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Methven
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gosney
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications*; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins