Three million ‘at risk of malnutrition’

Three million people in the UK are living with the risk of malnutrition, a new report has claimed.

The study, Combating Malnutrition: Recommendations for Action, published today, suggests the cost of the condition now lies at around £13 billion annually.

Experts believe the majority of those at risk are living within in the community and not in hospitals and care homes.

The authors have produced a 25-point plan which they claim the government should look at to reduce both the cost of the condition to the taxpayer and the number of those at risk.

Among the recommendations is a call for an increase in the number of people screened for their risk to malnutrition

Commenting on the report, Professor Marinos Elia, chair of the advisory group on malnutrition at BAPEN, said: “The evidence is clear and the time is right.

“Improving the nutritional status of all in the community as well as in hospital and care influences health outcomes and quality of life. The policy and regulation frameworks are in place into which many measures to combat malnutrition can be easily slotted.”