Nutrition and the Elderly : Part 2

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 2 of 4)

"You really can slow aging down through eating well, exercising properly, keeping positive, and staying active," he says. "We don't see much change in them [the people in the study] due to aging," he continues, because very few of the people in his New Mexico Aging Process study are sedentary, have memory loss, or are on medications or overweight. "So they are going on in life like they did when they were much younger," he says, telling of a spry 80-year-old man in the study who works as a ski instructor. "The only time we see a dramatic change in someone is when something acute happens, such as a fall. That may precipitate a change in the dietary lifestyle," he says.

The reasons seniors shun balanced fare results from more than natural metabolic changes, of course: Some of these other factors are not so obvious. Loneliness, for example, can cripple the person who has always lived with a spouse or other family members, and it seems to hit older men particularly hard, reports Suzanne Murphy, nutritionist at University of California at Berkeley, and co- researcher of a study on the living arrangements and dietary quality of older adults in the United States, funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Without cooking or shopping skills, men may eat less or skip meals altogether. Women living alone may simply grow tired of kitchen duty and lose interest in eating. "Older Americans are at risk," she says, "but single older Americans are at greater risk." Depression — often linked to loneliness — may likewise curtail a person's interest in food.

Sensory Decline

Another roadblock to eating well is the decline in the sense of smell that directly affects a person's ability to taste — and enjoy — food. "We once believed that older people didn't eat well because of their decline in taste and taste buds," says James Weiffenbach, Ph.D., research psychologist, Clinical Investigation and Patient Care Branch, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. "Taste and smell as a sensory system do affect eating. But the ability to taste remains fairly intact with age. It's the decline in the ability to smell that seems to be responsible for 'taste' complaints," he says.

Weiffenbach points out that older people have trouble identifying pur}ed foods. Though younger people do much better under usual circumstances, when holding their noses while eating, they are no better at identifying foods than older people. In essence, he says, you can't taste if you don't smell — smell is the real factor in the enjoyment of food.

Money worries play a large role, too. After people retire, their incomes often dwindle, forcing them to make some hard cutbacks in their budgets. The one area that usually cuts most easily is the food allowance.

In addition, certain medications can kill appetites or taste sensations. Or people may wear ill-fitting dentures that make chewing meats and fibrous vegetables difficult. Perhaps failing eyesight causes meals to look less appealing and makes reading food labels difficult. Perhaps, too, disease or broken bones limit mobility so that shopping or cooking becomes an unwelcome chore.

Weakness is another factor. How, asks Gail Martin, assistant administrative director of the National Association of Meal Programs (which represents Meals on Wheels), Washington, D.C., can a frail elderly person carry home a heavy bag of groceries, particularly if that home is six blocks away and that person has no cab fare?

Unlike years ago, when all tradesmen came to the door, she continues, shopping today is more difficult. Shoppers generally must leave home, usually by car, to buy their provisions. "If you are 85 years old and have a car," she says, "you must be able to drive it and handle it well enough to maneuver shopping mall parking lots. And you'll probably have to park at a distance from the store. There are obstacles for those even in the best of health. Our society has not thought through how older people are going to live and make it."

Practical Suggestions

While most experts express dismay at the situation, they all offer practical suggestions that almost every aging American can follow. For one, Blumberg suggests, simply taking supplements can help. "By the time someone is old, the consequences of inappropriate nutrition are hard to void," he explains. "But it's not too late to start to reduce the risk. I know of only one ready alternative, and that's to take supplements. Others talk about fortifying foods. But if the vitamin D requirement for an older person really is two to three times higher than the current allowance, it may not be realistic to tell a 65-year-old woman to drink five glasses of milk a day." Of course, he cautions, supplements in large amounts can be toxic.

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