Undernutrition and dysphagia in the institutionalized elderly are well documented in the literature. However, the clinical efficacy of diets to treat dysphagia have not been established. To offer a better understanding of the textural characteristics of the new Sainte-Anne's Hospital (SAH) modified texture reformed foods, rheological evaluations were performed. Apparent viscosity, consistency coefficient, flow behavior index and yield stress values were calculated for the thickened beverages. Texture profile analyses were performed on the reformed foods. Secondly, to evaluate the impact of SAH's reformed foods on nutritional intake and weight, a 12-week clinical trial was undertaken. Dysphagic frail elderly subjects (n = 17) of a long-term care facility of Montreal were randomly assigned to receive SAH reformed foods or traditional care. The experimental group demonstrated a significant increase in nutritional intake resulting in significant weight gain. These findings suggest that dysphagic frail elderly could reach healthy weight when adequately fed.

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