Poor Appetite in Elderly Increases Mortality Risk

Professor Mark L. Wahlqvist, M.D., Ph.D. Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan National Defense Medical Center, School of Public Health, Taiwan Monash Asia Institute, Monash University Melbourne, AustraliaMedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Professor Mark L. Wahlqvist, M.D., Ph.D.
Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan
National Defense Medical Center, School of Public Health, Taiwan
Monash Asia Institute, Monash University Melbourne, Australia

Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?

Prof. Wahlqvist: Poor appetite and dietary quality as judged by diversity separately (each by about 50%) and together (by about 80%) increase the mortality risk in older persons living in the community.

Medical Research: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Prof. Wahlqvist: We generally associate poor appetite with illness and frailty with little surprise that it is associated with decreased survival. But we found almost 10% of older people in the community to have poor appetites, placing them at risk of  poorer health and shorter lives. To some extent, the risk this posed for premature death was direct and not related to general health. What was encouraging was that those who could still manage a diverse diet lived longer. Although we cannot be sure about causality, it is probable that a diverse diet will help maintain general health in the face of a poor appetite. Of course appetite and diet can affect each other so it is not too surprising that both need consideration.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Prof. Wahlqvist: Loss of appetite is not to be ignored at any age, especially with advancing years. It can be an early indicator of general health and dietary problems which can shorten life. While loss of appetite can be related to various social and psychological problems, like loneliness and depression, it can also be part of a vicious  cycle with poor dietary  quality, limited physical and outdoor activity (like shopping) playing a role, as in the present study. Simple enquiry about appetite could enable measures to be put in place to improve health and live longer.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Prof. Wahlqvist: We would recommend efforts to identify and rectify poor appetite among older free-living people be encouraged and evaluated. Consideration should also be given as to how much poor appetite might be prevented and its consequences minimized by early interventions.

Citation:

Appetite predicts mortality in free-living older adults in association with dietary diversity. A NAHSIT cohort study

Appetite Volume 83, 1 December 2014, Pages 89–96

Yi-Chen Huang, , Meei-Shyuan Lee

 

 

 

Last Updated on September 11, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD