Nutritional status is associated with the degree of cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms in a Greek elderly population

Abstract

Introduction: Cognitive impairment and malnutrition are two important public health issues in the elderly, which have been associated with their mental health.Aims: This study aims to evaluate the nutritional status of an elderly population in Greece, and its association with the grade of cognitive decline, anthropometric measures and psychological status.Materials and Methods: A total of 2092 elderly men and women were enrolled from seven Greek cities. Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) questionnaires were used to assess the impact of nutritional status on cognitive abilities and psychological status of the participants.Results: Of the elderly, 35.0% were at risk of malnutrition and 11.3% were malnourished, while 34.4% of the participants had impaired cognitive function, and 32.3% showed depressive symptoms. Malnutrition was more frequently observed in participants presenting cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms. In multiple regression analysis, nutritional status was independently associated with cognitive and psychological status.Conclusions: A high prevalence of malnutrition was recorded in this elderly population sample, which was directly associated with cognitive impairment and depression. Diagnostic tools such as MNA, MMSE, and GDS are strongly recommended to be applied as a routine clinical practice in the elderly to timely and effectively address these health problems.

Keywords: BMI: body mass index; Cognitive impairment; Depression; Elderly; GDS: geriatric depression scale; MMSE: mini-mental state examination; MNA: mini nutritional assessment; Nutritional status; Public health.