Undernutrition in the elderly

Undernutrition in the elderly is considered to be a major health problem. Hospitals and care institutions are alert to the risk of protein and energy deficiency in the elderly and provide nutritional supplementation (extra protein and energy) where this is deemed to be necessary. In this advisory report, a specially appointed Committee of the Health Council of the Netherlands concludes that the exact scope of the problem is unclear and that many questions still remain to be answered concerning the effectiveness of dietary interventions in the elderly. Scientific research of good quality and sufficient scope is needed to improve the understanding of these issues.

Committee

• Prof. D. Kromhout, Vice-President of the Health Council of the Netherlands, Chairman
• Prof. J.J. van Binsbergen, Endowed Chair: Professor of Nutrition and Family Medicine, St. Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen
• Prof. H. Boersma, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam
• Dr. M.A.E. van Bokhorst-de van der Schueren, Senior Nutrition Scientist, Nutrition and Dietetics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam
• Prof. R.J. Brummer, Professor of Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition, University of Örebrö, Sweden; Professor of Medical Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht
• Prof. C.P.G.M. de Groot, Personal chair Nutrition and ageing, with due attention for nutrition later in life, Wageningen University
• Dr. J.A. Iestra, Assistant Professor, Department of Dietetics and Nutritional Sciences, Utrecht University Medical Center, Utrecht
• Prof. L. van Loon, Special Professor of Physiology of Exercise, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht
• Prof. B.W.J.H. Penninx, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam
• Prof. H. Pijl, Professor of Diabetology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden
• Prof. J.M.G.A. Schols, Professor of Old Age Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht Prof. M. Visser, Professor of Healthy Aging, VU University Medical Center and VU University, Amsterdam
• R.J. Metaal, Ministry for Public Health, Welfare and Sport, The Hague, Observer
• Dr. C.J.K. Spaaij, Netherlands Health Council, The Hague, Scientific secretary