Impact of Comprehensive Dietary Counseling on Dietary Quality, Mental Health, and Quality of Life in Older Adults

Impact of Comprehensive Dietary Counseling on Dietary Quality, Mental Health, and Quality of Life in Older Adults

As a person ages, an incidence of mental distress such as depression and anxiety increases while the quality of life decreases. Singapore's population is aging rapidly and older adults may suffer from mental distress and deteriorated quality of life. Recent evidence suggests that good nutrition is essential for mental health and quality of life in older adults.

Previous research reported that provision of nutrition education and cooking workshops to people with mental illness for 3 months achieved healthy dietary change and improved mental health. This proposed study aims to further assess the effect of comprehensive dietary counselling on dietary quality, cardio-metabolic, mental health, sleep quality, and quality of life through a 24-wk parallel intervention study in Singapore older adults.

The investigators hypothesised that older adults who receive comprehensive dietary counselling will improve dietary quality, cardio-metabolic health, mental health, sleep quality, and quality of life when compared to older adults who do not receive comprehensive dietary counselling.

Fifty female Chinese older adults (aged 60+y) will be recruited with the expectation that ≥ 40 subjects will complete the study. This is a 24-wk parallel, single-bind, prospective study design with subjects randomly assigned to either receiving comprehensive dietary counselling (intervention group) or not receiving comprehensive dietary counselling (control group). Subjects in the intervention group will only receive comprehensive dietary counselling for first 12-wk and then they will be followed for another 12-wk without comprehensive dietary counselling. Subjects in the control group will be followed for 24-wk without any intervention. Dietary quality, mental health, sleep quality, daily physical activity and quality of life will be assessed and blood lipid-lipoproteins, glucose and insulin concentrations will be measured from the collected blood samples.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Able to give an informed consent
2. Age ≥60 years
3. No weight change >3kg in the past 3 months
4. Not exercising vigorously over the past 3 months
5. Does not have any intestinal disorders, including lactose intolerance
6. No acute illness
7. Non-smoker
8. Non-vegetarian
9. Not drinking more than 2 alcoholic drinks/day
10. Not taking any lipid-lowering and blood pressure controlling medications less than 3 years

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Unable to give an informed consent
2. Age < 60 years
3. Weight change >3kg in the past 3 months
4. Exercises vigorously over the past 3 months
5. Have intestinal disorders, including lactose intolerence
6. Having acute illness
7. Smoking
8. Vegetarian
9. Drinking more than 2 alcoholic drinks/day
10. Taking lipid-lowering and blood pressure controlling medications less than 3 years