Obesity is one of the biggest concerns in medicine but we should not forget that a significant proportion of people in this country is under-nourished and this places a huge demand on health care services. Some people are obviously very thin. Many others look fine but are under-nourished in terms of vitamins because they are not getting enough nutrient rich foods. The problem today is we consume 700 calories a day less than we did 30 or 40 years ago but lead much less active lives. The quality of food is also not as good which means it is harder to extricate the necessary vitamins and m inerals.
Malnutrition is much more common in the UK than people think especially among the elderly.
Some five per cent of adults are defined as malnourished and that figure rises to a massive 40 per cent of hospital patients. This group is three times more likely to suffer major complications and four times more likely to die. Research shows clearly that targeted nutritional intervention reduces illness in the community and, in hospital, decreases complications, length of stay and mortality. But little has so far been done to translate the research findings into practical clinical services. The Southampton team initially hopes to set up a study in primary care and nursing homes to see if improving the diet of elderly people can reduce hospital admission rates.