Nutrition in the elderly is a complex and vital matter. On the one hand energy needs decline with age the result of slower metabolism. Older people simply need fewer calories than younger people and if person become physically inactive energy needs decline further. Complication this seemingly simple equation is the face the older persons need to consume more nutrients – dense food to ensure adequate Nutrient intake. Nutritional problems in older patients may reflect years of subclinical malnutrition possibly paired with nutritional abuse. The clinician must properly evaluate the nutritional status of older patient to restore maintenance of nutritional adequacy. This is essential for maximum resistance to people develop special nutritional requirement but they may also develop special nutritional requirements but they may also develop dietary habits that put them at increased risk for various nutritional deficits. This first installment in a series of articles presents an overview of nutritional in older patients
Aging
for our purposes elderly or old is defined as age greater than 65 years a further demographic breakdown defines the terms young-old as age 65 to 75 years middle-old as 76 to 84 years and old-old as 85 years and older. Aging can also be defined as the accumulation of changes in cells and tissues that increase the risk of death. It is hastened by forcer that ether accelerates cellular loss or retard tissue repair. When loss exceeds repair ensuing cellular attrition eventually leads to a decline in