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Review
. 2016 Jan 27;8(2):69.
doi: 10.3390/nu8020069.

Anorexia of Aging: Risk Factors, Consequences, and Potential Treatments

Francesco Landi  1 , Riccardo Calvani  2 , Matteo Tosato  3 , Anna Maria Martone  4 , Elena Ortolani  5 , Giulia Savera  6 , Alex Sisto  7 , Emanuele Marzetti  8
Affiliations
Review

Anorexia of Aging: Risk Factors, Consequences, and Potential Treatments

Francesco Landi et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Older people frequently fail to ingest adequate amount of food to meet their essential energy and nutrient requirements. Anorexia of aging, defined by decrease in appetite and/or food intake in old age, is a major contributing factor to under-nutrition and adverse health outcomes in the geriatric population. This disorder is indeed highly prevalent and is recognized as an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality in different clinical settings. Even though anorexia is not an unavoidable consequence of aging, advancing age often promotes its development through various mechanisms. Age-related changes in life-style, disease conditions, as well as social and environmental factors have the potential to directly affect dietary behaviors and nutritional status. In spite of their importance, problems related to food intake and, more generally, nutritional status are seldom attended to in clinical practice. While this may be the result of an "ageist" approach, it should be acknowledged that simple interventions, such as oral nutritional supplementation or modified diets, could meaningfully improve the health status and quality of life of older persons.

Keywords: appetite; food intake; frailty; geriatric syndrome; ghrelin; malnutrition; nutrition; protein; sarcopenia; supplementation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Major mechanisms involved in the development of anorexia of aging.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Anorexia of aging and risk of malnutrition.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Risk factors for anorexia of aging and negative outcomes.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Assessment of anorexia of aging and malnutrition.
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