Shift in diurnal feeding patterns in nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease

Background. Individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are highly susceptibl e to weight loss and malnutrition, which, to date, have not been associated with decreased food consumption. The current study examined food intake pa tterns and how they change in relation to body mass index (BMI), behavioral function, and cognitive status in institutionalized seniors with AD., Methods. Twenty-one consecutive days of investigator-weighted food intake c ollections were conducted on 25 subjects with likely AD residing at a home for the aged. All subjects maintained the ability to self-feed. Results. Eighty-eight percent of participants did not meet targeted energy needs, including an estimated 37% prevalence of protein inadequacy. Subject s with increased behavioral difficulties, based on the London Psychogeriatr ic Rating Scale, had reduced meal-related intakes that were highly associat ed with decreased energy consumption at dinner. With behavioral changes, pa rticularly increased mental disorganization and confusion, there was a shif t in circadian eating patterns such that the greatest proportion of daily e nergy was consumed at breakfast. Individuals with low BMIs tended to be tho se with more behavioral difficulties, such that BMI was also associated wit h the shift in overall eating patterns. Conclusions. Chang es in behavioral function in seniors with AD result in a circadian shift in intake patterns with the preponderance of calories cons umed at break-fast in those with increased behavioral difficulties. This sh ift in eating patterns associates both with poor overall intake and poor BM I.