Dysregulated gut hormone responses to nutrient ingestion in older adults with low appetite: a mechanism of anorexia of ageing.
Abstract
Anorexia of ageing - the age-related reduction in appetite and food intake - is a public health concern for an ageing global population. However, current understanding of the aetiology of the condition is limited. In this review, evidence of gut hormone responses to feeding in older adults is reviewed, and it is proposed that a dysregulation of this process is a mechanism driving low appetite in later life. The evidence is synthesised to critically present this case, spotlighting recent data demonstrating a highly anorexigenic gut hormone profile in older adults exhibiting low appetite, which is not observed in older adults exhibiting a "healthy" appetite. These findings and this theory are interrogated with an appreciation that appetite control is complex and multifactorial, not least in the context of anorexia of ageing; it is posited that changes in gut hormone secretions are
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Research summary
Dysregulated gut hormone responses contribute to low appetite in older adults, potentially driving anorexia of ageing. This paper addresses a mechanism related to appetite regulation in older adults, which is crucial for understanding and potentially mitigating age-related declines in health and nutrition.
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