Advanced Polymer Technology Research Group, National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC), NSTDA, Klong Luang, Pathumthani, Thailand.
Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2021 Jul;20(4):4101-4119. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12791. Epub 2021 Jun 19.
In today's market environment, an aging society is recognized as one of the megatrends in the world. The demographic change in the world population age structure has driven a huge demand in healthcare products as well as services that include the technological innovation for the health and wellness of the elderly. Dysphagia or swallowing difficulty is a common problem in the elderly as many changes in swallowing function come with aging. The presence of a strong relationship between swallowing ability, nutritional status, and health outcomes in the elderly leads to the importance of dysphagia management in the population group. Modification of solid food and/or liquid is a mainstay of compensatory intervention for dysphagia patients. In this regard, texture-modified foods are generally provided to reduce risks associated with choking, while thickened liquids are recommended for mitigating risks associated with aspiration. In this review, we discuss thickened liquids and other issues including the importance of their rheological and tribological properties for oropharyngeal dysphagia management in the elderly. The review focuses on both commercial thickeners that are either based on modified starch or xanthan gum and other potential polysaccharide alternatives, which have been documented in the literature in order to help researchers develop or improve the characteristic properties of thickened liquids required for safe swallowing. Furthermore, some research gaps and future perspectives, particularly from the nutrition aspect related to the interaction between thickeners and other food ingredients, are suggested as such interaction may considerably control the rate of nutrient absorption and release within our body.
在当今的市场环境下，老龄化社会被认为是世界上的一个大趋势之一。世界人口年龄结构的变化推动了对医疗保健产品以及包括老年人健康和保健技术创新在内的服务的巨大需求。吞咽困难或吞咽困难是老年人常见的问题，因为随着年龄的增长，吞咽功能会发生许多变化。老年人的吞咽能力、营养状况和健康状况之间存在着很强的关系，这使得在该人群中进行吞咽困难管理显得尤为重要。固体食物和/或液体的改良是吞咽困难患者补偿干预的主要方法。在这方面，通常提供质地改良的食物以降低与窒息相关的风险，而推荐使用增稠液体以降低与吸入相关的风险。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了增稠液体和其他问题，包括其流变学和摩擦学特性对老年人口咽性吞咽困难管理的重要性。综述重点介绍了基于改性淀粉或黄原胶的商业增稠剂以及其他在文献中有记录的潜在多糖替代品，以帮助研究人员开发或改善用于安全吞咽的增稠液体的特征性质。此外，还提出了一些研究空白和未来展望，特别是与营养有关的方面，涉及增稠剂与其他食物成分之间的相互作用，因为这种相互作用可能会极大地控制我们体内营养物质的吸收和释放速度。
