The journal of nutrition, health & aging
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J Nutr Health Aging · Jan 2010
Estimated height from knee-height in Caucasian elderly: implications on nutritional status by mini nutritional assessment.
To investigate if the use of estimated height (EH) by currently available prediction formulas might affect the screening and outcome prediction attitudes of both the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and its short-form version (MNA-SF). ⋯ In Italian elderly, height prediction by nationally representative equations for white Americans should be preferred to that by ethnic-specifc formula. However, the use of both models does not seem to affect nutritional screening and outcome prediction by MNA and MNA-SF.
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J Nutr Health Aging · Dec 2009
Review Meta AnalysisGait speed at usual pace as a predictor of adverse outcomes in community-dwelling older people an International Academy on Nutrition and Aging (IANA) Task Force.
The use of a simple, safe, and easy to perform assessment tool, like gait speed, to evaluate vulnerability to adverse outcomes in community-dwelling older people is appealing, but its predictive capacity is still questioned. The present manuscript summarises the conclusions of an expert panel in the domain of physical performance measures and frailty in older people, who reviewed and discussed the existing literature in a 2-day meeting held in Toulouse, France on March 12-13, 2009. The aim of the IANA Task Force was to state if, in the light of actual scientific evidence, gait speed assessed at usual pace had the capacity to identify community-dwelling older people at risk of adverse outcomes, and if gait speed could be used as a single-item tool instead of more comprehensive but more time-consuming assessment instruments. ⋯ Although more specific surveys needs to be performed, there is sufficient evidence to state that gait speed identifies autonomous community-dwelling older people at risk of adverse outcomes and can be used as a single-item assessment tool. The assessment at usual pace over 4 meters was the most often used method in literature and might represent a quick, safe, inexpensive and highly reliable instrument to be implemented.
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J Nutr Health Aging · Nov 2009
Left ventricular mass, abdominal circumference and age: the Fels longitudinal study.
To determine the relationship of abdominal circumference with increased left ventricular mass (LVM) from young adulthood into old age. ⋯ In women, increases in abdominal fatness as reflected in abdominal circumference at any age are linearly related to an increase in LVM/ht2.7, but the relationship of overall fatness as reflected in BMI with LVM/ht2.7 is stronger. In men, both abdominal fatness and overall fatness at any age are linearly related to an increase LVM/ht2.7. However, the significant curvilinear association of abdominal circumference and a linear association of BMI and physical activity with LVM/ht2.7 indicate the possible positive covariate relationship of overall muscle mass with LVM/ht2.7. This reflects the physiological changes with age and demonstrate, in part, the complexity of the interpretations of the inter associations of body composition, the cardiovascular system and the aging process, but the impact among the elderly and the known inadequacy of BMI at these ages remains an area for continued clinical study.
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The aetiology of sarcopenia is multifactorial but still poorly understood while the sequelae of this phenomenon, i.e. loss of independence and metabolic complications, represent a major public health. The most evident metabolic explanation for muscle decline in elderly people is an imbalance between protein synthesis abd breakdown rates but other causes like neurodegenerative processes, reduction in anabolic hormone productions or sensitivity such as insulin, growth and sex hormones, dysregulation of cytokine secretions, modification in the response to inflammatory events, inadequate nutritional intakes and sedentary lifestyle are involved. Consequently, the age-related loss of muscle mass could be counteracted by adequate metabolic interventions including nutritional intakes or exercise training. ⋯ Other strategies including changes in daily protein pattern, the speed of protein digestion or specific amino acids supplementation may be beneficial to improve short term muscle anabolic response in elderly people. The beneficial impact of resistance or endurance training on muscle mass and function is highlighted in many studies suggesting that the potential anabolic response to exercise still remains despite a lesser metabolic response to nutrients. Thus a multimodal approach combining nutrition, exercise, hormones, specific anabolic drugs may an innovative treatment for limiting the development of sarcopenia with aging.
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To date, very little research has been carried out in nursing homes and it is difficult to make recommendations for quality of care that are based on actual data. The Réseau de Recherche en Etablissement d'Hébergement pour Personnes Agées (REHPA) is a functional network established in collaboration between the geriatric department of Toulouse University Hospital and 240 nursing homes with the aim of compensating for the lack of evidence-based recommendations and of enhancing research. ⋯ The survey identifies specific issues in order to target future research in the nursing home setting.