The Impact of Diet Type on Weight Loss in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

Nakamura, Tomiyo

OBJECTIVES: To compare differences in weight loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease on normal, diabetic, or texture-modified diets. METHODS: This prospective interventional study examined the data of patients with Alzheimer's disease who were admitted to a long-term care hospital in Japan from February to April 2013. Dietary elements and weight loss over a 3-month period were examined. Results: Of the 75 patients examined, 6 were on a normal diet, 10 were on a diabetic diet, and 59 were on a texture-modified diet. Weight loss was significantly associated with body weight, Mini Nutritional Assessment®, and diet type. In the non-malnourished patients, there was a significant difference between the three types of diets in terms of eating rate and weight loss. CONCLUSION: Diet type was independently associated with weight loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Research using larger sample sizes is necessary to eliminate the differences between these diet types.