Food perception, lifestyle, nutritional and health status in the older people: Typologies and factors associated with aging well.

The aging process is associated with physiological, sensory, psychological, and sociological changes likely to have an impact on food intake and the nutritional status. The present study aimed to explore the heterogeneity of the French older population (>65 years old) using a multidisciplinary approach. More specifically, the study aimed to highlight different typologies (i.e. clusters of individuals with similar characteristics) within the older population. We conducted face-to-face interviews and tests with 559 French older people, recruited from different categories of dependency (at home without help, at home with help, in nursing homes). Clustering analysis highlighted seven clusters. Clusters 1-3 contained 'young' older people (<80) with a good nutritional status; these clusters differed according to food preferences, the desire to have a healthy diet, or interest in food. Clusters 4-7 mainly contained 'old' older people (80+), with an increase in the nutritional risk from cluster 4 to cluster 7. Two of these clusters grouped healthy and active people with a good level of appetite, while the two other clusters were associated with a clear decline in nutritional status, with people suffering from eating difficulties or depression. The results raise the need to develop targeted interventions to tackle malnutrition and implement health promotion strategies among the seniors.

Evidence for different patterns of chemosensory alterations in the elderly population: impact of age versus dependency.

The present experiment aimed to explore the interindividual variability in chemosensory abilities among the elderly population. The chemosensory abilities of 559 subjects, aged from 65 to 99 years, were evaluated. Various categories of the elderly, including people who were living at home either without or with assistance, and people who were living in a nursing home, were interviewed. The results revealed that 43% of the sample presented well-preserved chemosensory abilities, whereas 21% of the participants presented a moderate impairment. Of the sample, 33% presented well-preserved olfactory abilities but strong impairment in gustatory abilities and 3% were nearly anosmic but remained able to perceive the salty taste, demonstrating that gustation and olfaction were not systematically damaged simultaneously. The results showed a link between the level of dependence (free living vs. living at home with help vs. nursing home) and chemosensory abilities, independently of the age effect. These results strengthen the hypothesis that the impairment of chemosensory abilities is not only an effect of age per se; rather, it is related to events that are associated with aging. Factors that lead to increased dependence (such as poor health) also lead to an impairment in chemosensory performance.

WITHDRAWN: The Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ): Assessment of eating behaviour in an aging French population.

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