Does lower quality of life and daily living activity increase nutritional risk of elderly residing in care home facilities?

The Psychological, Cognitive, and Behavioural Effects of Starvation in Humans: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Research has highlighted the physical complications of starvation, but there is less research examining the psychological effects of starvation in humans.

AIMS

This scoping review synthesises literature on the non-physical effects of starvation in humans.

METHOD

Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Global Health for studies published between 1946 and 2023 examining the non-physical effects of starvation in individuals aged 2-79 years, including those who were starved, malnourished, stunted, wasted, underweight, had a restrictive eating disorder, or were raised in famine conditions.

RESULTS

From 16,555 abstracts, 851 articles on the effects of malnutrition were reviewed, and 318 were included. Among these, 35% focused on children and adolescents, 25.5% on adults with comorbid illnesses, 17% on older adults, 13% on those with eating disorders, 6% on adults without comorbidities, and 3.5% on famine survivors. Cognitive impairments were the most frequently reported effects in children. In adults and older adults, depression and anxiety were common, along with reduced cognitive functioning, reduced quality of life, social withdrawal, impaired sleep and impaired sexual functioning. Individuals with eating disorders experienced depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties, and cognitive impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

There is extensive evidence showing the detrimental non-physical consequences of starvation in children and adults. These findings should inform research, clinical interventions, and educational materials addressing the effects of insufficient nutrition, including in those with restrictive eating disorders.

To assess the contributing factors of nutritional and health status amongst elderlies residing in the nursing homes of fars province, Iran: A cross sectional study

Background and Aims

In line with the global trend, the number of elderly is rising in Iran. It should be noted that the nutritional and health needs of these people, especially those living in nursing houses, are extremely significant. The present study aimed to identify the nutritional and health status and uncover their relationship with received care services by elderlies residing in nursing homes.

Methods

All 373 elderlies living in the nursing homes in Shiraz entered the study, and the requisite data were collected by references to elderlies' files, respective nurses, and elderlies themselves.

Results

The majority of the elderlies were at risk of malnutrition (62.5% of the total population, 55.4% of females, and approximately 44.6% of males). Elderlies with no insurance coverage mainly fell into the at-risk and malnutrition categories. There was a significant relationship between the needs assessment scores, reflecting the need for physical and psychological actions, and elderlies' malnutrition (odds ratio = 1.87, 95% confidence interval: 1.79-1.95). For each unit increase in the Physical and psychological need score, the odds of exposure to malnutrition (vs. nonmalnourished and at risk of malnutrition) was 1.87 times after adjustment for confounders.

Conclusion

The results of our study revealed that most of the elderlies living in the nursing homes of Shiraz had some levels of malnutrition such as at-risk for malnutrition (62.5%) and malnourished (18.9%). Based on these results, it is suggested that health policy-makers take practical steps toward promoting the nutritional care of old people and direct extra supervision to nursing homes and all healthcare provisions.

Effects of L-Carnitine and Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Randomized, Controlled, Clinical Trial

The prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and its associated lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) increases with age. Considering that BPH drug treatment is associated with complications, this study aimed to investigate the effects of L-carnitine (LC) and Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation as an adjunct therapy to finasteride in the management of LUTS in older men affected with BPH. Fifty eligible volunteers (25 per group) were randomly assigned to either intervention (finasteride + LC and CoQ10 supplements) or control (finasteride + placebo) groups. International prostate symptom score (IPSS), international index of erectile function (IIEF), quality of life index (QoL), as well as serum levels of Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), were assessed. Prostate ultrasound evaluation was also performed, before and after 8 wk of intervention. Supplementation with LC and CoQ10 led to a significant decrease in prostate volume (p < 0.001) as well as a significant increase in IIEF (p < 0.001), compared to the control group. However, there were no significant between-group differences in IPSS (p = 0.503), QoL scores (p = 0.339), and PSA levels (p = 0.482). CoQ10 and LC supplements might be beneficial in combination with standard therapies in the management of BPH and its related complications.