Effect of family style mealtimes on quality of life, physical performance, and body weight of nursing home residents: cluster randomised controlled trial
I would like to applaud the study undertaken by Kristel Nijs and
colleagues[1]. Many elderly people in nursing homes, despite excellent
clinical care, experience poor nutritional status associated with poor
dentition, depression and disease related malnutrition. It is terribly
distressing for family to see their elderly relatives declining in such as
way. The solution has always been to provide high protein and energy
dietary supplements from pharmaceutical companies, that while very
carefully formulated, are of debatable palatability and uptake.
Importantly, they are prescribed by physicians at enormous cost to the
health service and there is limited evidence of their effectiveness[2].
Food based interventions are not ineffective: appropriate studies simply
have not been done. This research is a step in the right direction. Jamie,
can you make nursing homes your next project?
1. Nijs K A, de Graaf C, Kok F J, van Staveren W A. Effect of family
style mealtimes on quality of life, physical performance, and body weight
of nursing home residents: cluster randomised controlled trial. Bmj, 2006.
2. Milne A C, Avenell A, Potter J. Meta-analysis: protein and energy
supplementation in older people. Ann Intern Med, 144(1): 37-48, 2006.
Rapid Response:
A step in the right direction
To the editor,
I would like to applaud the study undertaken by Kristel Nijs and
colleagues[1]. Many elderly people in nursing homes, despite excellent
clinical care, experience poor nutritional status associated with poor
dentition, depression and disease related malnutrition. It is terribly
distressing for family to see their elderly relatives declining in such as
way. The solution has always been to provide high protein and energy
dietary supplements from pharmaceutical companies, that while very
carefully formulated, are of debatable palatability and uptake.
Importantly, they are prescribed by physicians at enormous cost to the
health service and there is limited evidence of their effectiveness[2].
Food based interventions are not ineffective: appropriate studies simply
have not been done. This research is a step in the right direction. Jamie,
can you make nursing homes your next project?
1. Nijs K A, de Graaf C, Kok F J, van Staveren W A. Effect of family
style mealtimes on quality of life, physical performance, and body weight
of nursing home residents: cluster randomised controlled trial. Bmj, 2006.
2. Milne A C, Avenell A, Potter J. Meta-analysis: protein and energy
supplementation in older people. Ann Intern Med, 144(1): 37-48, 2006.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests