Clinical Nutrition

Chewing and swallowing difficulties limit the ability to eat foods with their normal texture and thus increase the risk of malnutrition. In this new publication, the authors present relevant summaries based on current knowledge regarding chewing and swallowing solid foods; the elements and tools used to screen and assess for oral function; the evidence to date concerning pureed food production and the implementation of texture-modified diets including pureed foods in residential care settings; and the benefits of use of commercially prepared pureed foods.

Cognitive function declines with ageing. When this decline begins to be more pronounced, mild cognitive impairment occurs.

Swallowing is a complex process. Dysphagia for liquids can result in aspiration where the liquid enters the airway and lungs. In a large clinical trials, increasing bolus viscosity (from thin liquid to nectar-thick and spoon-thick) improved the safety of swallow compared with thin liquid, without increasing residue in dysphagia patients for xanthan-based thickeners.