| [ Summary ] |
Appetite and food intake tend to decrease with aging, leading to weight loss, loss of lean body mass (i.e. sarcopenia), malnutrition, and poor health outcomes. Anorexia in older individuals is caused not only by physiological but also by non‒physiological mechanisms, such as social, psychological, and medical conditions. The physiological mechanisms underlying anorexia of aging are a decline in the sense of smell and taste, impaired gastric accommodation, delayed gastric emptying, altered feeding‒related hormone secretion, and hormonal responsiveness. Possible hormonal causes of anorexia of aging include increased activity of cholecystokinin, peptide YY, and reduced ghrelin activity. In this review, I will briefly summarize the current understandings of the pathophysiology of anorexia of aging, specifically focusing on alterations in the regulation of gastrointestinal hormones. This knowledge will enable the development of novel therapies to help prevent malnutrition during aging. |