Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of muscle mass, strength, and function, commonly seen in older adults. It increases the risk of falls, frailty, and loss of independence. Factors such as inactivity, poor nutrition and chronic disease can accelerate its progression. Early intervention through exercise and adequate protein intake is key to maintaining mobility and quality of life.

In collaboration with dietitian Caryn Straker and Director of Research, Innovation and Community Engagement Nuno Lopes Santos – both highly proactive and innovative in their approach – students at UCL have been working on a project to highlight malnutrition, sarcopenia and frailty and develop educational resources. Four UCL students from the Division of Medicine MSc Nutrition programme (Annisa Rachmayanti and Emma Harris last year, and Sophie Fitzpatrick and Rahaf Ali this year) have been involved, giving them real-world research experience in a care home environment, meeting residents, learning cutting-edge nutritional assessment skills, and aiming to improve practice. The students are also helping to develop educational resources for carers, residents, and the public to raise awareness about sarcopenia.

Our collaborators at the Nightingale Hammerson care home, Caryn and Nuno, both recognise how important good nutrition and hydration is for ageing well and the impact it can have on quality of life. “As an organisation, we embrace research and are continuously looking to have a positive impact on the well-being of the residents we care for, as well as those in our wider community through our community engagement programme, REACH. Working with Dr Adrian Slee and his students has allowed us to explore the very important topic of screening for malnutrition, frailty and sarcopenia and we look forward to seeing how these different methods can be applied in a care home environment and identifying the advantages they may have over some of the screening tools we currently use.”

Annisa Rachmayanti, MSc Clinical and Public Health Nutrition graduate 2024, is delighted to be sharing their research journey on the NHD Student Hub: “Witnessing how nutritional challenges profoundly impact our ageing population's well-being, our team has been committed to enhancing elderly care comes. Working alongside care home residents and dedicated staff has been incredibly meaningful, particularly in understanding how early detection of malnutrition, sarcopenia and frailty can be life-changing.

Annisa highlights that the study’s findings so far reveal striking overlaps between those conditions, with 43.2% of residents experiencing both frailty and sarcopenia risk. “By implementing accessible tools like the MNA-SF, care homes can identify vulnerable residents earlier, preventing health deterioration that leads to diminished quality of life and increased care needs.”

Annisa believes that his proactive approach will not only preserve the independence and dignity of care home residents, but will also optimises staff resources and improve financial efficiency for both care facilities and healthcare systems. “We're passionate about developing practical, sustainable solutions that transform nutritional care for our elderly community members."

Two new students are taking up the reins this year, both looking forward to the opportunity to conduct research on malnutrition in care homes with Nightingale and Hammerson House this summer.

Sophie Fitzgerald, current MSc Clinical and Public Health Nutrition student at UCL, says, “Through my previous work in care homes, I’ve observed firsthand how prevalent malnutrition and sarcopenia are in this environment and I am thrilled to have the chance to contribute to our understanding of these important issues. Our research this summer will build upon the work conducted by UCL students last year, aiming to expand the data set and help us reach clearer conclusions. We will focus on methods of assessing malnutrition and sarcopenia amongst care home residents, some of which will include the bioelectrical impedance analysis, hand grip strength test, and the analysis of dietary intake. We will also be creating educational videos on this topic to be shared with those impacted by these conditions as well as caregivers.”

Rahaf Ali, current MSc Obesity and Clinical Nutrition student, who is also involved this year, has already noticed from the work done last year that sarcopenia has been underestimated in older adults in care homes. Rahaf assures us that they are “fully committed to increasing awareness through educational videos to better manage complications associated with sarcopenia and frailty to enhance residents’ quality of life and well-being. We intend to collaborate with our colleagues from last year to publish the excellent work already completed, along with the work from this year, under the guidance and supervision of our principal investigator, Dr Adrian Slee.”