The Relationship Between Food Consumption, Nutritional Status and Cognitive Functions in Elderly

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between food consumption, nutritional status and cognitive functions in elderly.

Methods: The cross-sectional and descriptive study was completed with 150 geriatric outpatients in Erciyes University hospital. Demoghraphic characteristics of the patients were asked, and the anthropometric measurements were made. 24-h food consumption were evaluated with the computer program BeBiS. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Nutritional Screening Index (NSI) were used to determine the malnutrition risk, and the Standardized Mini Mental Test (SMMT) was used to determine the cognitive functions. The obtained data were analyzed with the SPSS 22.0, p<0.05 level was considered statistically significant.

Results: While 34.7% of the participants were at risk of malnutrition and 2.7% were malnourished according to MNA; in the NSI evaluation, these rates were determined 32.7% and 17.3%, respectively. It was found that with the decrease in malnutrition risk, language and orientation scores in cognitive function assessment increased. When the relationship between food consumption and cognitive function was analyzed, it has been observed that participants with high protein, fat, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavine, niacin and vitamin C consumption have normal cognitive function.

Conclusion: It has been determined that the various macro and micronutrients consumption of the elderly had substantial effects on cognitive functions. Besides, the increasing risk of malnutrition was related to the decrease in cognitive functions. Therefore, it is essential to ensure adequate and balanced nutrient intake of the elderly and to determine the malnutrition risk with regular screenings, and to make appropriate interventions when necessary.