Association between the Prognostic Nutritional Index and Dietary Intake in Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Heart Failure: Findings from NHANES III

The objective of this study was to examine the association between nutritional status and dietary intake in community-dwelling older adults with heart failure (HF). A cross-sectional analysis of NHANES III data was conducted. The analytic sample was comprised of n = 445 individuals aged 50+ years with congestive HF (54.4% male, 22.9% non-Hispanic Black, 43.8% low-income). Nutritional status was measured using the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI). Participants were classified by PNI quintiles with lower PNI scores indicating lower nutritional status. Participants in quintile 5 showed significantly greater intakes of energy, protein, vegetables, magnesium, zinc, copper, potassium, red meat, saturated fat, and sodium. In multivariate analyses, increased intake of red meat (beta = 0.253, p = 0.040) and vegetables (beta = 0.255, p = 0.038) was associated with significantly better nutritional status. In the absence of comprehensive nutritional guidance for HF patients, it appears that small increases in energy, protein (red meat), and vegetable consumption are associated with improved nutritional status.