05 Dec 2014 --- Even in food-abundant industrialized countries like the US, an alarming number of people, particularly seniors, are in a state of diseased-associated malnutrition. Because of the impact on patient health, disease-associated malnutrition imposes a significant economic burden on society of $157 billion per year, according to new research published in a supplemental issue of the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN) and supported by Abbott.