Home-made oral supplement as nutritional support of old nursing home residents, who are undernourished or at risk of undernutrition based on the MNA. A pilot trial

Aims: The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effect of a home-made oral supplement on body weight and energy intake of old people residing in a nursing home. Methods: Sixty-six old (65+ years) nursing home residents were included and divided into three classes according to their Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scores. Participants who scored 17-23.5 MNA points (at risk of undernutrition) and had a BMI <24 kg/m² were randomly allocated (block randomization) to two groups: B and C. Participants with <17 MNA-points (undernourished) were allocated to group A. The participants allocated to groups A and B received a home-made oral supplement every evening for two consecutive months. Results: The results after two months showed that compliance with the supplement was good and daily intake from the supplement averaged 1.6 MJ. The total energy intake in group A significantly increased (p<0.001), without suppressing the intake of energy from normal food. Group B experienced a decrease in the intake of normal food and hence no overall change in food intake. Body weight was unchanged in all groups. Conclusions: Our limited data suggest that a home-made oral supplement can improve the total energy intake of nursing home residents who are undernourished according to the MNA.