When older people are admitted to the hospital, they often have a hard time doing things they used to do easily, like getting dressed or taking a walk.
This is known as “hospitalization-associated disability,” and it is a big problem. It can make people sicker and increase costs for hospitals.
But what if there was a simple way to stop this from happening? A group of experts think they might have found the answer.
What the Experts Found
Experts from two different research groups – the University of Barcelona and the Gregorio Marañón Health Research Institute – teamed up to look at this problem.
They wanted to see if older people who are in the hospital could get better faster if they did physical exercise and ate a healthy diet, like the Mediterranean diet.
This diet is full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats.
The results of their study were published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging. They found that older patients who followed the Mediterranean diet and did physical exercise got better faster than those who didn’t.
This was especially true for patients who were in poor physical shape when they were admitted to the hospital.
A Closer Look at the Study
The experts looked at a group of 260 patients who were 75 years or older. All of them were patients at the Gregorio Marañón University Hospital.
They divided the patients into two groups. One group followed a program of physical exercise and health education. The other group didn’t.
José Antonio Serra-Rexach, one of the leaders of the study, said, “We saw that the patients who did the physical exercise and learned about health during their hospital stay got better faster.
They were able to do more things by the time they left the hospital.”
Mireia Urpi-Sarda, another leader of the study, added, “We know that a healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet can help older people stay strong. So, we wanted to see if this diet could also help older people who are in the hospital.”
What This Means for Patients
The study found that older people who followed the Mediterranean diet and did physical exercise improved more during their hospital stay.
This was especially true for those who didn’t follow the Mediterranean diet before they were hospitalized.
Alba Tor-Roca, a researcher from the University of Barcelona, noted, “The patients who didn’t follow the Mediterranean diet when they were admitted to the hospital benefited the most from the physical exercise program.
They were able to do more things by the time they left the hospital.”
The experts believe that following the Mediterranean diet could be a good way to identify which older patients might benefit the most from physical exercise during their hospital stay.
In the future, doctors might be able to use this information to help their patients get better faster.
Conclusion
Getting older often means more trips to the hospital. But this study shows that staying active and eating a healthy diet can make a big difference.
This could be the key to helping older people stay strong and healthy, even when they have to be in the hospital.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about berry that can prevent cancer, diabetes, and obesity, and natural blood pressure controllers: 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about diet to fight diabetic eye damage, and results showing these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
The study was published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.
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