The effect of diet on mood in the elderly

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of protein and carbohydrate intake on mood state in well, elderly people. There were 28 subjects, three men and 25 women, ages 63 to 83 years, who were free of any disorders which affected food metabolism or mood changes, and who did not take any medications which would have significant effects on these variables. In the first of two components of the study, subjects kept three-day food intake and pre- and post-prandial mood records. No significant relationships were found between the variables. In the experimental component, subjects served as their own controls and, in random order, ate either a high carbohydrate, a high protein, or a control snack. Using two different instruments, mood was measured immediately before and one hour after the snacks were eaten. Although protein did not improve vigor, the carbohydrate snack significantly improved depression and total mood scores. The order in which the snacks were eaten interacted with the type of snack when affecting total mood. The descriptive data were examined and used to group subjects according to carbohydrate intake. Analysis of the data from the upper and lower carbohydrate quartiles did not indicate any differences between the quartiles or between these subjects and the total group, and thus refuted the designation carbohydrate 'cravers' and 'noncravers' in this population. Depressed mood and vigor are two dominant mood themes in older adults. Knowledge of how these and other variables may be related to food intake in these persons could contribute to the development of therapeutic nutritional nursing interventions. Further study is needed, not only on specific nutrients, but also on how food associations, memories, tastes and textures affect human behavior. Interventions devised on these findings could help elderly people self-regulate their mood conditions in an inexpensive and nonpharmacologic manner. Dietary intake and nutritional status have the potential to significantly impact quality of life in this population.