Guidelines for maintaining adequate nutrition in old age

Nutrient requirements do not change markedly with advancing age, but life style, socioeconomic status, psychologic changes, and the presence of chronic disease alter nutrient intake in the elderly. It is important to recognize and deal with these factors in attempting to correct malnutrition and in prescribing dietary treatment. Malnutrition includes a variety of disorders: undernutrition, nutrient deficiencies and imbalances, and obesity. Frequent small feedings, with nutritional supplements for patients with profound weight loss, are the initial treatment for undernutrition. Iron supplements and a diet of foods rich in iron and in promoting iron absorption are required in treating iron deficiency anemia. Management of macrocytic anemia should include specific nutrient therapy plus improvement of diet to include leafy vegetables and animal foodstuffs. Diet is an important adjunct in treating chronic diseases. Maturity-onset diabetes mellitus often can be managed by diet alone, with attention to correct proportions of fat, carbohydrate, and protein and to the decreased caloric requirements of elderly patients. The importance of continuing dietary modifications in hyperlipidemia and hypertension is well known. Although dietary manipulation in osteoporosis is not curative, a diet high in calcium and containing adequate floride and vitamin D affords maximum dietary protection against progress of the disease.