Israeli researchers have discovered a link between the eating habits of the elderly and their risk of death.
The study conducted at Ben Gurion University included 298 participants aged 70-82 years and analyzed the Daily Activity Energy Expenditure (DAEE) and dietary factors, including self-reported appetite, enjoyment of eating and food intake.
It found that higher DAEE is strongly associated with increased appetite, resulting in lower risk of mortality in healthy older adults.
“These findings are important because they show how subjective appetite measurement can predict death, even when adjusting for health and many other variables,” says Dr. Danit Shahar, a researcher at BGUs S. Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition and Department of Epidemiology.
“[In the past it] was thought that decreased appetite may be an indicator or a result of other health problems, and that malnutrition, rather than low appetite, was associated with mortality,” he adds.
The researchers add elderly patients eating habits are an important piece of information for health providers to estimate the risk of patient deterioration and mortality.
Those who are concerned about the quality of their diet may turn to nutritional supplements to boost their intake of vitamins and minerals. 