Why is there a greater focus on diet and fitness for families with middle-aged and older members? Why has it grown in importance since 30 years ago?
Overview
The focus of Tucker’s presentation, she said, would be on how dietary requirements change as people age, which nutrients are particularly crucial for aging populations, and the difficulty of gaining access to and consuming a high-quality diet in light of the challenges already covered by other speakers (e.g., loss of appetite, oral health decline, mobility constraints).
How Nutritional Needs Aging-Related Change
Dietary requirements alter as we age in a number of ways:
People need to consume less because they become less active, their metabolism slows down, and their energy needs drop.
Recent studies have shown that older people’ dietary requirements actually rise as a function of body mass because they are less efficient at absorbing and using many nutrients.
As several of the other speakers had mentioned, chronic illnesses and drugs can have an impact on a person’s need for nourishment, according to Tucker. For instance, some drug-nutrient interactions also cause nutritional waste in addition to impacting drug metabolism. In particular, this is valid for the B vitamins.
Due to the connection between diet and health, maintaining a nutrient-dense diet is crucial for older persons. Numerous studies have shown that nutrition quality significantly affects immunological function, vascular function, bone health, eye health, and mental and physical health. However, this can be difficult to accomplish for a number of reasons:
As Pelchat mentioned, aging is frequently accompanied by changes in taste and scent, as well as a lack of appetite, all of which can result in more serious health problems.
Mobility issues affect many older persons, making it challenging to shop for food, move large jars, open containers, etc.
Low income is common in aging populations, as both Wellman and Kinsella highlighted, making it challenging for many older persons to get nutritious foods (i.e., because those foods tend to be more expensive).
