Personalized Diets Reduce Mortality in the Elderly

Intense, individually tailored dietary treatment for acutely hospitalized elderly has a significant impact on mortality, according to a new study.

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University (Beer Sheva, Israel) recruited 259 hospitalized adults aged 65 and older who were nutritionally at risk. The patients were then randomized according to hospitalization ward into three groups. The intervention group received individualized nutritional treatment from a dietitian in the hospital and three home visits after discharge; the second group received one meeting with a dietitian in the hospital; and the third group received standard care. Groups two and three were combined into a single group that served as the controls in the analysis. Mortality, health status, nutritional outcomes, blood tests, cognition, emotional, and functional parameters were assessed at baseline and after 6 months; all participants were contacted monthly.

The results showed that after six months, the rise in mini nutritional assessment score adjusted for education and hospitalization ward was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control groups, mainly on the subjective assessment part. The only laboratory parameter for which a difference was observed between the groups was albumin; 9.7% of the intervention group had serum albumin levels of less than 3.5 g/dL, versus 22.9% of the control group. Mortality was significantly lower in the intervention group (3.8%) than in the control group (11.6%). The study was published ahead of print on November 18, 2010, in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.

"This is the first study that used an individually tailored dietary treatment for acutely hospitalized elderly people,” said coauthor Danit Shahar, RD, PhD. "The results indicate that intense dietary treatment reduces mortality and can help reduce the need for rehospitalization.”

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Ben-Gurion University