“At Least the Second Plate”: rethinking nutritional care in the geriatric unit

Description

Emanuele Marzetti, Riccardo Calvani, and Hélio Jose Coelho-Junior question a ward habit in geriatric care in their 2026 commentary. Staff often urge older inpatients to eat at least the second plate, usually the protein-rich course, to protect muscle during recovery. The authors ask whether that protein-first push is enough on its own.

They review why intake falls short in hospital: appetite loss, altered taste, swallowing trouble, dry mouth, and chronic illness all play a part. Evidence supports protein above the standard allowance for older adults, and more still during illness or injury. Yet the commentary stresses that total energy matters just as much, because without enough calories the body burns protein for fuel instead of building muscle. Their message is that nutritional care must count energy and protein together, not plates alone.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13251652