Global assessment of nutrition risk factors in the elderly.

Global assessment of nutrition risk factors in the elderly consists of subject's history, physical examination, and laboratory tests, which are the indispensable mode to establish definite nutritional disorders. This is illustrated in a study of 150 free-living elderly Thais participating in the Global Assessment of Nutritional Risk Factors in the Thai Elderly. They consisted of 50 men and 100 women, aged 60-86 years and were an affluent urban population. Diet-related chronic diseases including overall obesity, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were the major nutritional problems affecting their life and well-being. Thus appropriate nutritional intervention must be provided to improve their impaired health status.