Home-made oral supplement as nutritional support of old nursing home residents, who are undernourished or at risk of undernutrition based on the MNA. A pilot trial. Mini Nutritional Assessment.

AIMS: The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effect of a home-made oral supplement on body weight and energy intake of old people residing in a nursing home. METHODS: Sixty-six old (65+ years) nursing home residents were included and divided into three classes according to their Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scores. Participants who scored 17-23.5 MNA points (at risk of undernutrition) and had a BMI <24 kg/m2 were randomly allocated (block randomization) to two groups: B and C. Participants with <17 MNA-points (undernourished) were allocated to group A. The participants allocated to groups A and B received a home-made oral supplement every evening for two consecutive months. RESULTS: The results after two months showed that compliance with the supplement was good and daily intake from the supplement averaged 1.6 MJ. The total energy intake in group A significantly increased (p<0.001), without suppressing the intake of energy from normal food. Group B experienced a decrease in the intake of normal food and hence no overall change in food intake. Body weight was unchanged in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our limited data suggest that a home-made oral supplement can improve the total energy intake of nursing home residents who are undernourished according to the MNA.

Use of dietary supplements in Denmark is associated with health and former smoking.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the use of dietary supplements in a group of Danish adults and to investigate the differences between users and non-users with respect to age, gender, health and lifestyle factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study in two Danish cities. SETTING: The Danish Investigation on Iodine Intake and Thyroid Diseases, 1997-1998. SUBJECTS: Participants were 3707 women (selected age groups between 18 and 65 years) and 942 men (60-65 years). Participation rate was 50%. Supplement data were collected in a personal interview. Data on education, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, use of medication and self-perceived health were derived from a self-administered questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression was used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Participants were asked about all kinds of supplements, ranging from products containing vitamins and minerals, to fish oils and products of herbal origin. On average 59% reported use of some kind of dietary supplement. Most common were combined multivitamin/mineral products (48%) followed by single vitamin C products (10%). Twelve per cent used three or more different supplements. Supplement use was strongly associated with age and gender, being highest among elderly women (78%). Ex-smokers were more likely to use supplements than subjects who had never smoked (odds ratio (OR) 1.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.76). Supplement use was more likely among subjects who had many days of illness 95% CI 1.12-1.66) and among users of medication 95% CI 1.04-1.42). Subjects who perceived their health as poor were more likely to use supplements other than just a multivitamin/mineral tablet 95% CI 1.31-3.77). CONCLUSIONS: Use of dietary supplements was related to age, gender and smoking, but also to poor self-perceived health status and absence from work. This indicates that a group of people use supplements as a form of self-medication.