Rehabilitation nutrition for individuals with frailty, disability, sarcopenic dysphagia, or sarcopenic respiratory disability

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We describe the recent advances in rehabilitation nutrition, which is especially important for disabled or frail older individuals. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent evidence pertaining to rehabilitation nutrition conducted in rehabilitation wards and acute care hospitals has been accumulating. The combination of rehabilitation nutrition and rehabilitation pharmacotherapy is important for eliciting higher functions. The 2020 update of the clinical practice guidelines for rehabilitation nutrition provides a weak recommendation for enhanced nutritional care for patients with cerebrovascular disease, hip fracture, cancer, or acute illness who are undergoing rehabilitation. Rehabilitation nutritional care process and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Dietetics are used to implement high-quality rehabilitation nutrition. Aggressive nutrition therapy incorporates the daily energy expenditure plus daily energy accumulation to increase body weight and muscle mass. Preventing and treating sarcopenic dysphagia should include iatrogenic sarcopenia prevention and aggressive nutrition therapy. The diagnosis criteria for respiratory sarcopenia and sarcopenic respiratory disability have been established. SUMMARY: The International Association of Rehabilitation Nutrition and Total Nutrition Therapy Rehabilitation program may contribute to international expansion of rehabilitation nutrition. Improving evidence–practice gaps in rehabilitation nutrition and increasing national health insurance coverage of aggressive nutrition therapy and rehabilitation nutrition teams are warranted.