Hyperphagia in dementia: 1. The use of an objective and reliable method for measuring hyperphagia in people with dementia

Abstract

Up to one third of dementia sufferers eat an increased quantity of food, compared with their premorbid intake, at some stage during the dementia. A proportion of these eat extraordinarily large quantities if food intake is not restricted. In order to investigate this phenomenon in detail, a reliable and standardized method of quantifying the degree of hyperphagia is required. We report the development of such a method. Twenty-six people with dementia, who were reported by their carers to be hyperphagic, were compared with 14 matched non-hyperphagic controls with dementia and 14 matched normal elderly. Subjects were offered two standardized meals, under specified conditions, ad libitum. One meal consisted of a single food, the other of a mixture of foods. The total energy intake provided a reliable measure of the degree of hyperphagia. The single food meal was more reliable but the mixed meal was a more sensitive measure of the hyperphagia.