Poor appetite and Growth Differentiation Factor-15 as predictors of insufficient energy and protein intake during and after hospitalization in older adults with acute medical illness: Exploratory analysis of a randomized controlled trial
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS
Poor appetite is a key contributor to malnutrition in older adults, partly due to reduced dietary intake. While nutritional deficits are well recognized, the biological mechanisms driving poor appetite remain incompletely understood. Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15) and the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ) may help identify patients at risk of insufficient intake. This study examines the association between GDF-15 and insufficient energy and protein intake and evaluates the predictive performance of GDF-15 and SNAQ - individually and in combination - to identify insufficient energy and protein intake (<75% and <100% of estimated requirements, respectively) in acutely admitted older adults.
METHODS
This exploratory study included 130 older adults (≥65 years) with or at risk of malnutrition, admitted for acute medical illness and assessed at baseline, and 8 and 16 weeks post-discharge (FW8 and FW16). GDF-15 plasma concentrations were measured from blood samples, SNAQ scores from validated questionnaire, and energy and protein intake were evaluated through 3-day dietary records. Associations were analyzed using regression models and predictive performance was evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis.
RESULTS
A doubling of GDF-15 showed a 6.73% (-13.98 - 0.51) and 5.07% (-12.18 - 2.05) lower baseline energy and protein intake, and results decreased after discharge. Using predefined cut-offs of ≥1500 pg/mL for…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a secondary / pooled analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 130 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Chaos and quantum thermalization
- The Dalton quantum chemistry program system
- Cord Blood Leptin and Adiponectin as Predictors of Adiposity in Children at 3 Years of Age: A Prospective Cohort Study
- Quantitative metabolomics by H-NMR and LC-MS/MS confirms altered metabolic pathways in diabetes
- Stable adiabatic quantum batteries
- A novel self-lipid antigen targets human T cells against CD1c(+) leukemias
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.