Study of community-living Alzheimer’s patients’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risks of malnutrition at different disease stages
Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by deficits in episodic memory. It is the most common form of dementia and affects 50–70% of patients with cognitive impairments over the age of 65. Elderly people are particularly susceptible to malnutrition an...
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PeerJ Inc.
2018-07-01
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| author | Mariona Rocaspana-García Joan Blanco-Blanco Alfonso Arias-Pastor Montserrat Gea-Sánchez Gerard Piñol-Ripoll |
| author_facet | Mariona Rocaspana-García Joan Blanco-Blanco Alfonso Arias-Pastor Montserrat Gea-Sánchez Gerard Piñol-Ripoll |
| author_sort | Mariona Rocaspana-García |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by deficits in episodic memory. It is the most common form of dementia and affects 50–70% of patients with cognitive impairments over the age of 65. Elderly people are particularly susceptible to malnutrition and that risk is even higher in patients with AD. This study assessed the nutritional status of patients with AD at different stages of AD and explored how that status correlated with cognitive, functional and behavioural variables and caregiver overburden. The characteristics of the diet and the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet were also analysed. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that was representative of the general population and it was carried out in the Unit of Cognitive Disorders, Lleida, Spain. The participants were 111 subjects with AD who were aged 65 and over and still living at home. The subjects’ nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Controlling Nutritional Status system. The monthly food intake was estimated using the short Food Frequency Questionnaire and adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated using the Mediterranean Diet Score. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Global Deterioration Scale, Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) were also used. Results We found that 68% of the subjects presented with a risk of malnutrition and 19% were malnourished according to the MNA scale. Patients ate a higher quantity of meat and dairy products than recommended and fewer products from the remaining healthier food groups. Of the 111 subjects, 73% showed low adherence to the Mediterranean diet and 27% showed moderate adherence. There was a partial correlation between nutritional status and the MMSE when the data were adjusted for age and sex (r = 0, 318; p = 0.001) and inverse correlations were found for functional status (r = − 0.283; p = 0.004) and the NPI (r = − 0.409; p = 0.000) and ZBI scales (r = − 0.433; p = 0.000) when they were adjusted using the same variables. The ZBI scale (OR 1.08, 95% CI [1.01–1.15]) showed an increase in the risk of malnutrition in the multivariate analysis. Discussion Alterations in nutritional status were more common during the advanced stages of AD and were also associated with behavioural changes and caregiver overburden. Low adherence to traditional healthy diets in Mediterranean countries and food intake profiles should be considered when managing patients with AD. Other countries can use the results to examine diets in people with AD that are high in meat and dairy and low in healthy food groups like fruit and vegetables. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:37:28Z |
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| id | doaj.art-ae03c91a20754c3ab5a60d833f01bb94 |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:37:28Z |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-ae03c91a20754c3ab5a60d833f01bb942023-12-03T10:55:36ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592018-07-016e515010.7717/peerj.5150Study of community-living Alzheimer’s patients’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risks of malnutrition at different disease stagesMariona Rocaspana-García0Joan Blanco-Blanco1Alfonso Arias-Pastor2Montserrat Gea-Sánchez3Gerard Piñol-Ripoll4University of Lleida, Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy, GRECS-IRBLleida, Lleida, SpainGESEC Research Group, Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of Lleida, Health Care Research Group (GRECS), Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida), Lleida, SpainUnit of Cognitive Disorders, Santa Maria University Hospital, Clinical Neuroscience Research, Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida), Lleida, SpainGESEC Research Group, Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of Lleida, Health Care Research Group (GRECS), Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida), Lleida, SpainUnit of Cognitive Disorders, Santa Maria University Hospital, Clinical Neuroscience Research, Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida), Lleida, SpainBackground Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by deficits in episodic memory. It is the most common form of dementia and affects 50–70% of patients with cognitive impairments over the age of 65. Elderly people are particularly susceptible to malnutrition and that risk is even higher in patients with AD. This study assessed the nutritional status of patients with AD at different stages of AD and explored how that status correlated with cognitive, functional and behavioural variables and caregiver overburden. The characteristics of the diet and the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet were also analysed. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that was representative of the general population and it was carried out in the Unit of Cognitive Disorders, Lleida, Spain. The participants were 111 subjects with AD who were aged 65 and over and still living at home. The subjects’ nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Controlling Nutritional Status system. The monthly food intake was estimated using the short Food Frequency Questionnaire and adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated using the Mediterranean Diet Score. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Global Deterioration Scale, Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) were also used. Results We found that 68% of the subjects presented with a risk of malnutrition and 19% were malnourished according to the MNA scale. Patients ate a higher quantity of meat and dairy products than recommended and fewer products from the remaining healthier food groups. Of the 111 subjects, 73% showed low adherence to the Mediterranean diet and 27% showed moderate adherence. There was a partial correlation between nutritional status and the MMSE when the data were adjusted for age and sex (r = 0, 318; p = 0.001) and inverse correlations were found for functional status (r = − 0.283; p = 0.004) and the NPI (r = − 0.409; p = 0.000) and ZBI scales (r = − 0.433; p = 0.000) when they were adjusted using the same variables. The ZBI scale (OR 1.08, 95% CI [1.01–1.15]) showed an increase in the risk of malnutrition in the multivariate analysis. Discussion Alterations in nutritional status were more common during the advanced stages of AD and were also associated with behavioural changes and caregiver overburden. Low adherence to traditional healthy diets in Mediterranean countries and food intake profiles should be considered when managing patients with AD. Other countries can use the results to examine diets in people with AD that are high in meat and dairy and low in healthy food groups like fruit and vegetables.https://peerj.com/articles/5150.pdfAlzheimer’s diseaseMediterranian dietNutrition AssessmentNutritional StatusCognition |
| spellingShingle | Mariona Rocaspana-García Joan Blanco-Blanco Alfonso Arias-Pastor Montserrat Gea-Sánchez Gerard Piñol-Ripoll Study of community-living Alzheimer’s patients’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risks of malnutrition at different disease stages PeerJ Alzheimer’s disease Mediterranian diet Nutrition Assessment Nutritional Status Cognition |
| title | Study of community-living Alzheimer’s patients’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risks of malnutrition at different disease stages |
| title_full | Study of community-living Alzheimer’s patients’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risks of malnutrition at different disease stages |
| title_fullStr | Study of community-living Alzheimer’s patients’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risks of malnutrition at different disease stages |
| title_full_unstemmed | Study of community-living Alzheimer’s patients’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risks of malnutrition at different disease stages |
| title_short | Study of community-living Alzheimer’s patients’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risks of malnutrition at different disease stages |
| title_sort | study of community living alzheimer s patients adherence to the mediterranean diet and risks of malnutrition at different disease stages |
| topic | Alzheimer’s disease Mediterranian diet Nutrition Assessment Nutritional Status Cognition |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/5150.pdf |
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