Page 12 - Petelin, Ana, and Šarabon, Nejc. 2018. Eds. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Znanstvena monografija / Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 12
avje starostnikov | health of the elderly 12 malnourished (Tasar, 2015). Donini et al. (2013) confirm a high proportion of
malnourished (37.6 %) and nutritionally endangered (75.5 %) also in Italy, with
a higher proportion of those living in elderly homes. Gorjup Poženel and Skela
Savič (2013) found on sample 117 residents of the social welfare institution that
17.9 % of malnourished people and 32.5 % of the elderly between 75 and 95 years
of age were at risk of malnutrition, while Poklar Vatovec (2013) on sample 20
residents of the social welfare institution is finding out five at risk of malnutri-
tion and none malnourished. Cerovič et al. (2008) found that among the home
living elderly population, there are less undernourished than among the elder-
ly in institutional and hospital care.
Physiological and metabolic changes lead to an age-related progressive
decline in muscle tissue and its function, which is further contributed by un-
balanced nutrition and insufficient physical activity (Wang et al., 2012), which
in turn increases the risk of fragility (Strojnik et al., 2016; Gabrijelčič Blenkuš
and Jakovljević, 2017).
Inadequate nutrition refers to deficit, surplus or imbalance in the intake
of energy and/or nutrients (WHO, 2017). ESPEN has published a conceptual
tree of prevailing eating disorders and defined nutrition, lack of micronutri-
ents and malnutrition (loss of weight due to starvation, cachexia - disease-re-
lated malnutrition, sarcopenia and weakness or fragility) as nutrition disorders
(Cederholm et al., 2015).
Malnutrition is the result of underutilized food intake and leads to a
change in body composition (decrease in body weight) and body cell mass,
leading to reduced physical and mental function and disorders in the clinical
outcome of the treatment of illness (Sobotka, 2011) and presents a burden on
patients and healthcare institutions (Barker, 2011).
The age-related decline in muscle mass and the increase in fat and ab-
dominal fat is referred to as sarcopenia (Sumbul, 2013) and affects slightly more
than a tenth of older adults after the age of 60 and also to half the elderly after
the age of 80 (Wang et al., 2012; Ribeiro and Kehayias, 2014). Kaiser and others
(2010) state that vitamin D, proteins and antioxidants, such as carotenoids, se-
lenium and vitamins E and C., need to be monitored for the prevention of sar-
copenia.
The term cachexia defines loss of body weight, reduction of fat and mus-
cle mass due to the underlying disease and related metabolic changes (Evans,
2008; Rotovnik Kozjek, 2009; Sumbul, 2013) and as a result of the negative pro-
tein and energy balance (Ebner et al., 2013 ). Nutrition and metabolic disorders
also include overweight problems, which represent the world‘s leading health
problem, as 39 % of people are overweight and 13 % obese (WHO, 2018). So-
botka (2011) lists even more than 40 % of older people with overweight and 20
% obese. One of the indicators of obesity is the body mass index (ITM) above
30. Weighted individuals have an ITM of over 25 (Sobotka, 2011; WHO, 2018).
Fajdiga and colleagues (2012) note that in Slovenia almost half of the popula-
malnourished (37.6 %) and nutritionally endangered (75.5 %) also in Italy, with
a higher proportion of those living in elderly homes. Gorjup Poženel and Skela
Savič (2013) found on sample 117 residents of the social welfare institution that
17.9 % of malnourished people and 32.5 % of the elderly between 75 and 95 years
of age were at risk of malnutrition, while Poklar Vatovec (2013) on sample 20
residents of the social welfare institution is finding out five at risk of malnutri-
tion and none malnourished. Cerovič et al. (2008) found that among the home
living elderly population, there are less undernourished than among the elder-
ly in institutional and hospital care.
Physiological and metabolic changes lead to an age-related progressive
decline in muscle tissue and its function, which is further contributed by un-
balanced nutrition and insufficient physical activity (Wang et al., 2012), which
in turn increases the risk of fragility (Strojnik et al., 2016; Gabrijelčič Blenkuš
and Jakovljević, 2017).
Inadequate nutrition refers to deficit, surplus or imbalance in the intake
of energy and/or nutrients (WHO, 2017). ESPEN has published a conceptual
tree of prevailing eating disorders and defined nutrition, lack of micronutri-
ents and malnutrition (loss of weight due to starvation, cachexia - disease-re-
lated malnutrition, sarcopenia and weakness or fragility) as nutrition disorders
(Cederholm et al., 2015).
Malnutrition is the result of underutilized food intake and leads to a
change in body composition (decrease in body weight) and body cell mass,
leading to reduced physical and mental function and disorders in the clinical
outcome of the treatment of illness (Sobotka, 2011) and presents a burden on
patients and healthcare institutions (Barker, 2011).
The age-related decline in muscle mass and the increase in fat and ab-
dominal fat is referred to as sarcopenia (Sumbul, 2013) and affects slightly more
than a tenth of older adults after the age of 60 and also to half the elderly after
the age of 80 (Wang et al., 2012; Ribeiro and Kehayias, 2014). Kaiser and others
(2010) state that vitamin D, proteins and antioxidants, such as carotenoids, se-
lenium and vitamins E and C., need to be monitored for the prevention of sar-
copenia.
The term cachexia defines loss of body weight, reduction of fat and mus-
cle mass due to the underlying disease and related metabolic changes (Evans,
2008; Rotovnik Kozjek, 2009; Sumbul, 2013) and as a result of the negative pro-
tein and energy balance (Ebner et al., 2013 ). Nutrition and metabolic disorders
also include overweight problems, which represent the world‘s leading health
problem, as 39 % of people are overweight and 13 % obese (WHO, 2018). So-
botka (2011) lists even more than 40 % of older people with overweight and 20
% obese. One of the indicators of obesity is the body mass index (ITM) above
30. Weighted individuals have an ITM of over 25 (Sobotka, 2011; WHO, 2018).
Fajdiga and colleagues (2012) note that in Slovenia almost half of the popula-
