Gezondheidsraad miskent interacties bij ondervoeding van ouderen

The Health Council of the Netherlands has recently published a report on undernutrition in the elderly. Undernutrition is a huge problem associated with negative health outcomes, especially in the frail elderly. Although its review of the recent literature is useful, the report does not contribute anything to clinical practice. The point is that evidence for firm conclusions is still lacking, and that most of all more research is needed to really define undernutrition and that RCTs in homogeneous groups of elderly should yield evidence on the most effective treatment strategies in the different populations in old age. This reductionist viewpoint neglects the fact that undernutrition in the elderly is a geriatric syndrome, which is mainly explained by multifactorial aetiology. Therefore, the only way forward is to study and treat undernutrition in older adults by using a broad geriatric perspective, without aiming for the holy grail of the single best evidenced definition or treatment.

Conflict of interest: Dr. Van Asselt has received financial support from Jansen (for committee work); Nutricia (committee work, consultancy, lectures and development of educational material), Abbott (consultancy, development of educational material) and through her institution from Nutricia (research) and Novartis (lectures). Through his institute Professor Olde Rikkert has received payment for consultancy work for Jansen, Novartis, Numico, Lundbeck and Echo Pharmaceuticals, and from the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development, and from various sources for lectures. Financial support for this article: none declared.