Review of protein intake and suitability of foods for protein-fortification in older adults in the UK

Abstract

Protein is a vital dietary component for combating negative health outcomes associated with malnutrition in older adults, including sarcopenia, functional decline and reduced quality of life. Yet, recommended daily protein intake is consistently unmet, as evidenced in the literature and reaffirmed in this review. Poor appetite is recognized as a major determinant of protein-energy undernutrition and thus fortification of regular food or drinks provides a flexible and relevant approach for older adults with reduced appetite. To increase the likelihood of fortified products being successfully incorporated into the diets of older adults, they must be adaptable to older adults eating patterns, cater for their preferences and take the specific age-related problems that complicate food intake into account. This paper aims to highlight older adults’ current sources of protein, shopping habits, typical eating patterns and commonly consumed foods, and hence consider appropriate carriers for protein enrichment. Data were reanalyzed from a combination of freely available UK datasets, including the National Dietary and Nutrition Survey and the Food and You Survey, alongside data purchased from market research consultancy, Kantar. These insights draw attention to the potential suitability of foods for fortification purposes, with the ultimate objective to promote eating pleasure and prevent malnutrition.

Keywords:

• Older adults
• protein
• malnutrition
• dietary behaviors
• fortification
• new product development

Declaration of interest statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Data access statement

No new data were generated or analysed during this study.

Additional information

Funding

This review was carried out using data from Kantar that was sourced through the UK Research and Innovation (URKI) Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funded project FoodSEqual: Co-production of healthy, sustainable food systems for disadvantaged communities. The first author (Rachel Smith) was partly funded during the writing of this paper through ANR (ANR-20-HDHL-0003 FORTIPHY), Research Council Norway (RCN 321819), BBSRC (BB/V018329/1) under the umbrella of the European Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life” (JDPI HDHL) and of the ERA-NET Cofund ERA-HDHL (GA N696295 of the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme).