Over 65? Eat butter and cakes to keep you healthy
British adults believe losing weight in later life is normal instead of a telltale sign of malnourishment.
The elderly are particularly prone to malnutrition, which can affect those who are overweight or underweight. Common signs are muscle weakness, lethargy, feeling low in spirits and an increase in illnesses or infection – but these symptoms could also point to more serious underlying health problems.
Dr Gabe said: “The general advice for those with malnutrition or for those at risk is to maximise their food intake.
“You can have cream in your coffee instead of milk, fry instead of grill, add butter to your scrambled eggs, give that chicken an extra brush of oil before putting it in the oven and stock up on cakes.
“This approach could help prevent thousands of people suffering the catastrophic health consequences of malnutrition and relieve significant pressure on the NHS and social care.” Malnutrition costs the NHS £19.6 billion a year, it is estimated. Malnourished older people are twice as likely to visit a GP and have more hospital admissions than someone who eats well.
Diane Jeffrey, who chairs the Malnutrition Task Force, said: “Malnutrition is often associated with the extreme poverty we see in the news and on the television but the truth is it can affect anyone, including our own family and friends here in the UK. It’s important to be vigilant, so look out for the subtle tell-tell signs such as loose rings, dentures and clothes. Alarm bells should be ringing if we see the people we care about lose significant amounts of weight unintentionally in later life – it’s not normal to get thinner with age as people assume.”
To see if you are suffering from malnutrition visit www.malnutritionselfscreening.org