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The objective of this study was to determine if the addition of flavor enhancers to the cooked meals for elderly residents of a nursing home promotes food consumption and provides nutritional benefits.
- M.-F. A.M. Mathey, E. Siebelink, C. de Graaf, W. A. Van Staveren
- 2001
- Abstract
- Methods
- Measurements
- Results
- Discussion
Decision Editor: John E. Morley, MB, BCh INADEQUATE dietary intake is often observed in elderly nursing home residents (1)(2). Accordingly, this population is highly at risk of developing undetected malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies. This malnutrition contributes to a reduced quality of life and leads to an impaired health status often call...
Subjects and Setting
The study was conducted at the nursing home “Rustenburg,” Wageningen, The Netherlands. Participants were selected using the following criteria: being older than 65 years of age, having no known dementia or residing in a somatic ward (20), having no known depression, having no disease in terminal phase, having no allergy to monosodium glutamate (MSG), already residing in the nursing home for more than 3 months, and consuming the cooked meal provided by the nursing home kitchen at lunchtime at...
Design and Procedure
A parallel group-intervention design was applied. The intervention consisted of adding flavor enhancers to the main dish of the cooked meals of the flavor group but not to the meals of the control group. The study was conducted for a period of 17 weeks: a week of run-in period and an experimental period of 16 weeks. After the baseline measurements, subjects were randomly assigned to be in the control group (n = 34) or the flavor group (n= 37). Anthropometry and appetite data were assessed bef...
Flavor Enhancers
Four flavor powders were available to enhance the cooked meal (Table 2): chicken flavor, beef bouillon flavor, turkey flavor, and lemon butter (fish) flavor (IFF BV, Hilversum, The Netherlands). The choice of the added flavor was determined by the nature of the protein-rich meal component and by the cooking process. Flavors were sprinkled just before meal delivery with a spice shaker over the whole main dish including the carbohydrate-rich components and the vegetables. The amount sprinkled p...
Dietary Intake
Total daily dietary intake data were collected using a combination of a 3-day record and weighing-back methods before and at the end of the intervention. Bread-based meal, snack, and beverage consumption was recorded in individual food diaries and checked by interviews with a trained dietician. Portion sizes were derived from a Dutch table of regular food portion sizes and household units (22). Dietary intake at the cooked meal was assessed with a 3-day weighing-back method before the interve...
Appetite, Hunger Feelings, and Sensory Perception Questionnaire
Subjects responded to a 29-item questionnaire about their feelings of hunger, appetite, and their taste and smell perception (18). After reading the questions together with an interviewer, subjects responded to the questions using a 5-point scale. A higher score corresponded to a more positive feeling of their sensory perception, a better appetite, and more feelings of hunger. Five variables were calculated: present taste perception, 8 items; present smell perception, 3 items; present smell p...
Geriatric Depression Scale
The geriatric depression scale (GDS) (25), used to assess the depression status of the subjects, consisted of 15 items to be answered ”yes” (1)or ”no” (0). The answers of each participant were summed to obtain a score, with each score above 5 indicating a depressive status.
Subjects
Sixty-seven out of seventy-one subjects completed the study. Dropouts were patients who failed in completing the study because of death (1 subject), relocation (1 subject), or personal reasons (2 subjects). Data on dietary intake and body weight could be obtained from all subjects. We also had results on appetite feelings and depression from 42 subjects who were capable of understanding and answering the different questionnaires. Resident characteristics were similar for both groups at the st...
Anthropometry
Groups were comparable with respect of mean body weight, body mass index (BMI), and energy intake before the study (Table 4 ). As shown in Table 4 , mean body weight increased during the intervention in the experimental group (1.1 ± 1.3 kg; p < .001) but remained stable in the control group (−0.4 ± 1.6 kg; p = .37). Changes between groups differed significantly (p < .001). Fig. 1shows the percentage of subjects with stable body weight or losing or gaining weight over the 16-week period.
Daily Dietary Intake
Table 4presents the daily dietary intake at baseline and absolute changes after 16 weeks of intervention. In both groups energy intake, on average, was low (5969 ± 1641 kJ for the control group and 5821 ± 1449 kJ for the flavor group) and below the mean Dutch requirement for elderly persons (7.8 MJ/d). As expressed per unit of body weight, dietary intake was also lower than the recommended intake (120 kJ/kg body weight) with 91 ± 31 kJ/kg body weight for the control group and 86 ± 3.0 kJ/kg b...
Results of this intervention study showed three major findings after 16 weeks: (i) Repeated consumption of a flavor-enhanced cooked meal led to an increase in dietary intake at this meal and a stable daily dietary intake; (ii) increased body weight was noticeable after consumption of a flavor-enhanced cooked meal; and (iii) repeated consumption of ...
- M.-F. A.M. Mathey, E. Siebelink, C. de Graaf, W. A. Van Staveren
- 2001
Apr 1, 2001 · Adding flavor enhancers to the cooked meals was an effective way to improve dietary intake and body weight in elderly nursing home residents.
Apr 1, 2013 · People with less appetite, especially among older persons can use flavor enhancers to improve their food intake and body weight. Sodium containing flavor enhancers can be part of a healthy diet for older persons when used in moderation.
Apr 1, 2004 · Compensating for this sensory loss, a 16-week parallel group intervention that added flavor enhancers to cooked meals was shown to be an effective way of improving dietary intake and body weight in nursing home residents .
- Neva L. Crogan, Bronwynne Evans, Donna Velasquez
- 2004
Dec 31, 1993 · Evidence is now emerging that suggests compensation for taste and smell losses with flavor-enhanced food can improve palatability and/or intake, increase salivary flow and immunity, reduce chemosensory complaints in both healthy and sick elderly, and lessen the need for table salt.
flavor enhancers to the cooked meals over 16 weeks would lead to an increase in food consumption and thereby provide nutritional benefits to elderly nursing home residents.
People also ask
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