Undernutrition Week
Undernutrition is a state of bodily nutritional imbalance: it is a major health issue that is affecting a growing number of people. The prevalence of this disease is on the increase, rising from 8.4% in 2019 to 9.9% in 2020, equating to 768 million people worldwide.[1] In 2021, the French health authorities recognised undernutrition as a major national public health issue affecting 2 million people. Undernutrition mainly affects the elderly (25% of people over 70 living alone) and hospitalised people (30% including 10% children).[2],[3] In order to raise awareness of prevention and treatment of undernutrition in France, the week of 12 to 19 November is devoted to this major issue. This year, the 5th Undernutrition Week, which is part of the French National Health Nutrition Plan, will be organised by the Collectif de Lutte contre la Dénutrition (Collective to Combat Undernutrition).
Undernutrition Week: 8 days to raise awareness of its detection
During Undernutrition Week, a series of conferences are to be held nationwide to raise awareness of high-risk situations to which special attention must be paid. Given the groups most affected by the disease, people admitted to hospital require regular nutritional monitoring to identify any potential deficiencies as quickly as possible. 85% of hospitalised adults have insufficient protein intake.[4] Older people must also be monitored, as ageing can result in loss of appetite, plus reduced ability to chew and/or swallow. For the same reasons, the onset of some pathologies such as certain cancers, ENT issues, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cystic fibrosis also increase the risk of undernutrition. Finally, areas where access to food is difficult are places in which undernutrition is more liable to develop. In these regions, undernutrition plays a role in half of deaths under the age of 5, mainly in low- or medium-income countries.[5] Therefore it is essential to monitor these high-risk groups in order to detect undernutrition as early as possible.
Consequences of undernutrition [6]
The consequences of undernutrition are varied and, if not treated rapidly, can progressively worsen. Firstly, loss of appetite, often caused by diseases, treatments or psychological factors, reduces nutritional intake. But insufficient intake of certain nutrients also causes deficiencies resulting in weight loss, muscle atrophy, and overall weakening of the body. The onset of these weaknesses limits mobility, increases isolation, and worsens depression, further affecting the existing loss of appetite. This process also weakens the immune system, increasing the risk of infections. To break this cycle, rapid intervention, including nutritional monitoring and psychological support, is essential to restore balance and improve quality of life.
Possible solutions to be implemented to treat undernourished people
The treatment of undernourished people must be tailored to the severity of the undernutrition. The first step is diet, the cornerstone to combating this disease, including several meals per day, with tailored portion sizes. Other options include fractional meals, enriched meals (improved nutritional values and energy intake, without modifying volume), modified textures, and finally oral nutritional supplements. ONS make it possible to effectively address undernutrition, without resorting to artificial nutrition, which is very restrictive. These are nutritional complexes that enable people’s nutritional needs to be met and prevent deficiencies.
Once different solutions are implemented, the development of the person’s nutritional state must be monitored, paying attention to their weight and making sure they are still enjoying eating. To guarantee observance, it’s essential to combine eating pleasure and nutrition.
Laïta nutrition’s assistance to develop enrichment solutions
At Laïta nutrition, we develop powdered drinks to be reconstituted, textured and ready-to-drink products. These different formats allow us to diversify textures and provide solutions for undernourished patients with issues swallowing (particularly dysphagia). Our mastery of specific processes allows us to develop high-quality ONS meeting international food safety standards. In addition, we make it a point of honour to select raw materials with high nutritional quality, thus maximising nutrient digestibility and bioavailability. As eating pleasure is a major vector affecting food intake for this group, we also work on the organoleptic qualities of our products, offering a wide range of flavours as well as neutral tastes to satisfy all patients.
As a result, Laïta nutrition is ready to assist you to develop clinical nutrition products tailored to undernutrition and patient needs. Our complex nutritional formulation expertise combined with our powder and liquid format expertise enables us to develop ONS for adult patients who are already, or at risk of, becoming undernourished. We offer ultra-high-energy, ultra-high-protein ONS enriched with a wide range of micro-nutrients, combining eating pleasure and high nutritional value.
[1] FAO, The state of Food Security and Nutrition in the World in 2021
[2] Collectif de la Lutte contre la Dénutrition, La dénutrition en chiffres (Undernutrition in Figures)
[3] HAS (Haute Autorité de Santé, French National Authority for Health), Stratégie de prise en charge en matière de dénutrition protéino-énérgétique chez le sujet âgé (Strategy to Treat Protein–Energy Undernutrition in the Elderly), 2007
[4] SFNEP (Société Francophone de Nutrition Clinique et Métabolisme, French-Speaking Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism), Dénutrition une pathologie méconnue en société d’abondance ( Undernutrition/ A Little-Known Pathology in an Affluent Society)
[5] WHO, Malnutrition, 2024
[6] Collectif de la Lutte contre la Dénutrition, Les conséquences de la dénutrition (The Consequences of Undernutrition)
