Abstract
Introduction Poor diet habits and inadequate intake of nutrients are a concern in the elderly.
Nutritional education with guidance may improve the results of the treatment of vertigo.
Objective Evaluate the presence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) associated with
feeding habits.
Methods Cross-sectional study with elderly people living independently. We evaluated nutritional
habits through the method of dietary 24-hour recall and manipulation of Dix-Hallpike.
Results Based on a sample of 487 individuals, 117 had BPPV. Among the 117 elderly patients
with BPPV, 37 (31.62%) had inadequate feeding. From those 370 individuals without
BPPV, 97 (26.21%) had inappropriate feeding. No significant association between nutritional
habits and BPPV in the total population was observed (p = 0.3064). However, there was significant relation between BPPV and inadequate carbohydrate
intake (p = 0.0419) and insufficient fiber intake (p = 0.03), and the diet of these subjects was rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (p = 0.0084).
Conclusion These data correlate with the dyslipidemia and hypertriglyceridemia status, making
it extremely important to reduce the intake of fats and carbohydrates and increase
the fiber intake to stabilize triglycerides and thus minimize harmful effects on the
inner ear. Food readjustment is suggested in patients with BPPV, along with the work
of a multidisciplinary team to improve the quality of the elderly.
Keywords
dizziness - aging - nutrition
