We speak of undernutrition when the energy intake from food is no longer sufficient to cover the body’s needs. Among people aged over 65, this phenomenon is not uncommon: it is estimated that it affects 5% of seniors living at home, between 15% and 38% of seniors living in institutions (retirement homes or nursing homes, for example), and between 30% and 60% of hospitalized seniors.
According to a new study conducted by the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (in Germany), people aged 65 and over who share their life with a spouse are, on average, less affected by undernutrition.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers looked at medical data from a total of 4,844 participants between the ages of 72 and 85 and from 7 different countries. Verdict? The researchers first discovered that seniors living alone (single, divorced or widowed) were more often affected by undernutrition than seniors living with a partner.
Malnutrition, a phenomenon that affects 5% of seniors at home
Scientists have also succeeded in bringing to light other factors (more or less surprising) favoring the development of undernutrition: difficulty chewing and/or swallowing, difficulty going up and/or down stairs, lack of appetite , frequent hospital stays…
“The risk of undernutrition increases a little more each year after 65 years” specifies Dr. Dorothee Volkert, main author of this work published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
The symptoms of undernutrition are quite visible: muscle weakness (with problems walking, more frequent fractures, fatigue on exertion), deterioration in general condition (asthenia, weight loss, anemia), lowered immune defenses ( more frequent “minor illnesses”, reduction in the effectiveness of treatments) or delayed healing.
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