DEMENTIA AND MALNUTRITION

Dementia and Malnutrition

Dementia and Malnutrition

Introduction

With development in science and technology the significance of nutrition in prevention or augmentation of many health problems is well acknowledged. Nutrition has a direct and a very strong link with dementia. There is a significant role that diet plays in development and prevention of diseases. Same goes with dementia. The document discusses malnutrition in older adults (aged 65years and above) with dementia. The content of the document is designed to explore the risk factors of malnutrition in relation to physiological, psychological and sociological aspects.

Discussion

According to report published by Nuffield Council on Bioethics, at present, approximately 700,000 individuals in the United Kingdom are suffering with dementia; the number will potentially increase to 1.7 million by 2051(Perry, 2009). The prevalence of dementia increases swiftly with age, affecting around 1 in 5 of us by the age of eighty five (Perry, 2009). In addition to its weighty social and personal impact, dementia has noteworthy financial repercussions for individuals suffering with it, for their family and careers and also for the social care and health care frameworks and systems (Perry, 2009, pp. xvii).

Malnutrition Physiology

Malnutrition is a state of nutrition ( under or over nutrition ) wherein a deficiency of proteins, energy as well as other nutritional requirements brings about considerable negative effects on muscle and/or human body, composition, functionality and medical outcome. We are going to give attention to under nutrition as a health issue because in dementia, under nutrition occurs. The primary reason for apprehension among aged people in the United Kingdom tends to be that they are refusing to eat as much as necessary to sustain decent diet regime. Among the populace of elder individuals in home care there are a lot more underweight individuals compared to the ones over-weight or obese individuals, and in old age being underweight presents a much greater threat to well-being than being obese.

The energy demands of a healthful individual differ based on a lot of variables such as : age ; gender ; body composition ; current and past dietary status ; and basal metabolic rate ( BMR ). BMR might be understood to be the metabolic pursuit necessary for the sustenance of life such as respiration, heart beat and body temperature.

When individuals go through disease, an injury or surgical treatment, their BMR uplifts. This brings about metabolic stress, which, if not controlled, may result in weight reduction and ultimately malnutrition.

Without adequate energy, proteins stores inside the body are mobilized from skeletal muscle tissue, leading to decrease in lean muscle mass. This protein is split up via biochemical oxidation to fulfill the body's amplified energy requirements. If the person's food intake would not include sufficient proteins, this may result in adverse nitrogen equilibrium. Positive nitrogen equilibrium is important for tissue refurbishment after disease or major injury.

The most recent details on the nutritional status of older people in Britain was reported in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey ( N.D.N.S ) of people aged sixty five ...