Nutritional Effects of Supplementing Nonagenarians With a Supplement Based on a Fruit From the Cerrado: Buriti

The population aged over 90 is growing worldwide, and the search for strategies to promote a better quality of life for the older persons is a challenge for science. Advancing age is associated with several physiological changes leading to different diseases, among which malnutrition and sarcopenia stand out. Malnutrition prevention and treatment are based on functional food/nutritional interventions, such as oral supplement use. However, studies evaluating the effectiveness of these supplements in nonagenarians are still scarce in the literature. The present study aimed to evaluate the use of a buriti fruit (Mauritia flexuosa) supplement in persons 90 years and older. The study included 40 individuals who were randomized into two groups. The group Supplement Test (ST) used a Buriti-based supplement with full vitamins and minerals; the control group used a capsule containing the same composition of vitamins and minerals as the test supplement, which was called Vitamin Mix (VM). The intervention lasted 12 weeks. The following analyses were carried out before and after this period: Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire, handgrip strength (HGS), biochemical tests, and anthropometric measurements. The main results showed that the Buriti supplement led to a significant increase in body weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), handgrip strength, and globulins, when compared to the group that used the vitamin mix. Therefore, it can be concluded that the buriti supplement promotes an improvement in body composition, increased strength, and globulins in nonagenarians, and may be a viable and effective strategy for malnutrition treatment.