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ESPEN guidelines on nutrition in dementia
Volkert D, Chourdakis M, Faxen-Irving G, Frühwald T, Landi F, Suominen MH, Vandewoude M, Wirth R et al.. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2015-09-25
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Older people suffering from dementia are at increased risk of malnutrition due to various nutritional problems, and the question arises which interventions are effective in maintaining adequate nutritional intake and nutritional status in the course of the disease. It is of further interest whether supplementation of energy and/or specific nutrients is able to prevent further cognitive decline or even correct cognitive impairment, and in which situations artificial nutritional support is justified. Objective It is the purpose of these guidelines to cover these issues with evidence-based recommendations. Methods The guidelines were developed by an international multidisciplinary working group in accordance with officially accepted standards. The GRADE system was used for assigning strength of evidence. Recommendations were discussed, submitted to Delphi rounds and accepted in an online survey among ESPEN members. Results 26 recommendations for nutritional care of older persons with dementia are given. In every person with dementia, screening for malnutrition and close monitoring of body weight are recommended. In all stages of the disease, oral nutrition may be supported by provision of adequate, attractive food in a pleasant environment, by adequate nursing support and elimination of potential causes of malnutrition. Supplementation of single nutrients is not recommended unless there is a sign of deficiency. Oral nutritional supplements are recommended to improve nutritional status but not to correct cognitive impairment or prevent cognitive decline. Artificial nutrition is suggested in patients with mild or moderate dementia for a limited period of time to overcome a crisis situation with markedly insufficient oral intake, if low nutritional intake is predominantly caused by a potentially reversible condition, but not in patients with severe dementia or in the terminal phase of life. Conclusion Nutritional care and support should be an integral part of dementia management. In all stages of the disease, the decision for or against nutritional interventions should be made on an individual basis after carefully balancing expected benefit and potential burden, taking the (assumed) patient will and general prognosis into account.
Key findings
- Background Older people suffering from dementia are at increased risk of malnutrition due to various nutritional problems, and the question arises which interventions are effective in maintaining adequate nutritional intake and nutritional status in the course of the disease.
- Results 26 recommendations for nutritional care of older persons with dementia are given.
Why it matters
These guidelines recommend screening every person with dementia for malnutrition and monitoring body weight, and supporting oral nutrition with adequate food, a pleasant environment and good nursing care. They do not recommend supplementing single nutrients, and the guidelines do not claim that nutrition can prevent or cure dementia.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Clinical Nutrition: journal h-index 225 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2015 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 440 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 33.8 citations a year over 13 year(s) since 2015 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 16.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 4 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 111 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Stéphane Michel Schneider: h-index 70 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Karolinska Institutet: institution h-index 1,477 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 8 institution(s) in 8 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26522922) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2015.09.004
- PubMed: 26522922
- Original source →
- Free full text: Clinical Nutrition →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Volkert, D., Chourdakis, M., Faxen-Irving, G., Frühwald, T., Landi, F., Suominen, M. H., et al. (2015). ESPEN guidelines on nutrition in dementia. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2015.09.004
Vancouver
Volkert D, Chourdakis M, Faxen-Irving G, Frühwald T, Landi F, Suominen MH, et al. ESPEN guidelines on nutrition in dementia. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). 2015. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2015.09.004. PMID: 26522922.
BibTeX
@article{volkert2015-26522922,
author = {Volkert, D. and Chourdakis, M. and Faxen-Irving, G. and Frühwald, T. and Landi, F. and Suominen, M. H. and Vandewoude, M. and Wirth, R. and others},
title = {{ESPEN guidelines on nutrition in dementia}},
journal = {Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1016/j.clnu.2015.09.004},
pmid = {26522922},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2015.09.004}
}
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