Is there a link between Persian medicine eating habits and the nutritional status of older adults? A cross-sectional study

Background: The physical and physiological changes of shifting into older ages may affect nutritional conditions and lead to malnutrition. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the possible relationship between eating habits recommended by Persian medicine (PM) and older adults' nutritional status. Methods: A total of 1259 older adults were included in this study. Data were collected using a three-section questionnaire measuring socio-demographic characteristics, nutritional status according to the short form of the complete Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF), and nutritional habits (NH) consisting of 31 questions based on PM recommendations. Results: The mean scores of the subscales of "eating habits" was significantly lower (p = 0.014) and "time of meals" was significantly higher (p = 0.001), in the well-nourished compared to the malnourished group. Furthermore, while a positive correlation was observed between the MNA-SF score and the subscales of "time of meals" (p<0.001) and "eating and sleeping" (p = 0.033), the subscale of "eating habits" showed a negative correlation (p = 0.019). Conclusions: Lifestyle modifications including eating habits and meal timing based on PM recommendations may improve nutritional status in older adults.