Project overview
Older adults who lose weight and are undernourished are more likely to fall ill and develop disability. Loss of appetite with ageing affects many older people and can result in them becoming undernourished. However, we understand very little about why this occurs and how to improve appetite to prevent harmful weight loss.
It is important to investigate factors linked to poor appetite with ageing and identify reversible causes. However, appetite is a complex experience, influenced by many things, including physical and mental health, the body’s signalling pathways, and living environments and social structure. The first step, is to decide the best way to measure these aspects together in older people, and in their blood, stool, and urine. Older people are often not included in medical research, as they may be less physically able to undertake multiple burdensome assessments
This study will assess the practicality and tolerability to participants of self-collection
of stool and urine and a researcher visiting their home to take blood and assess factors related to appetite, twice, six months apart. We will investigate changes and compare them to existing records on healthy older people with and without poor appetite.
The findings will ensure future research on poor appetite is appropriate for older people to participate in. The results will also begin to describe what happens over time to people with poor appetite and factors important to study further.
It is important to investigate factors linked to poor appetite with ageing and identify reversible causes. However, appetite is a complex experience, influenced by many things, including physical and mental health, the body’s signalling pathways, and living environments and social structure. The first step, is to decide the best way to measure these aspects together in older people, and in their blood, stool, and urine. Older people are often not included in medical research, as they may be less physically able to undertake multiple burdensome assessments
This study will assess the practicality and tolerability to participants of self-collection
of stool and urine and a researcher visiting their home to take blood and assess factors related to appetite, twice, six months apart. We will investigate changes and compare them to existing records on healthy older people with and without poor appetite.
The findings will ensure future research on poor appetite is appropriate for older people to participate in. The results will also begin to describe what happens over time to people with poor appetite and factors important to study further.
