Nutrition & Older Adults Ch 18 Flashcards
Key terms: sarcopenia
Term used for loss of LBM associated with aging
Key terms: functional status
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Key terms: discretionary calories (3)
A review of NHANES data Snacks provide nearly 1⁄4 of daily energy intake Snacks make up -14% of protein -12% of alcohol
Describe body composition changes related to aging (5)
- Normal aging is asso w/ shifts in body composition & subsequent loss of physical resilience
- LBM
- Sum of fat-free tissues, mineral as bone, & water - Sarcopenia
- Term used for loss of LBM asso w/ aging - LBM ↓ 2-3% per decade from age 20 to 70
- Older people - lower mineral, muscle, & water reserves
Discuss problems related to smell & taste
Taste & smell senses ↓ w/ age
-Women retain their sense of smell better than men do
Disease/medications affect taste & smell more than aging
Oral health depends on:
- GI secretions (saliva)
- Skeletal systems (teeth & jaw)
- Muscles (tongue & jaw)
- Taste buds
- Olfactory nerves (smell & taste)
Discuss problems related to appetite
Appetite:
1. Hunger & satiety cues
weaken w/ age
2. Older adults may need to be more conscious of food intake levels since appetite- regulating mechanisms may be blunted
Discuss problems related to thirst
Thirst:
- Thirst-regulating mechanisms ↓ w/ age
- Dehydration occurs > quickly after fluid deprivation & rehydration is
Describe nutritional risk factors for older adults
- Consider tot fat, sat fat, fruits, vegetables, whole grains & caloric intake
- Compare adequacy of nutrient intake to the RDA or DRI
- Examine a population & determine how environmental factors predict nutritional health—such as the Nutrition Screening Initiative’s (NSI) DETERMINE checklist
Describe protein needs
- Current recommendation: 0.8 g/kg of body weight
- Research suggests protein needs for older adults are 1 to 1.3 g/kg body wt (higher than the DRI of 0.8 g) - Inactive, older adults living alone may have low protein intakes
What is the fluid recommendation for older adults?
- The total amount of water ↓ w/ age
- ≥6 glasses of fluid/day will prevent dehydration in most older adults
- To individualize fluid recommendations, 1 mL of fluid/ kcal consumed, w/ a min of 1500 mL
Describe protein considerations
- Based on total energy requirements, how much protein will meet individual’s needs?
- Are enough cals eaten so that protein does not have
to be used for energy? - If marginal amounts of protein are eaten, is the protein of high quality?
- Are there additional needs – wound healing?
- Is the individual exercising?
Discuss age associated changes related to: vitamin A
- Plasma levels & liver stores ↑ w/ age
- May be linked to ↓ clearance from the blood
- Older adults > vulnerable to toxicity & possible liver damage than deficiency
- Beta-carotene will not damage the liver
Discuss age associated changes related to: calcium,
- Need adequate intake for bone health & to reduce
hypertension - UL has been lowered bc of toxic effects
Discuss age associated changes related to: vitamin D
Vitamin D, Calciferol
Factors that put older adults at risk for deficiency:
1. Limited exposure to sunlight
2. Institutionalization or homebound
3. Certain medications (barbiturates, cholestyramine, Dylantin, laxatives)
Discuss age associated changes related to: vitamin B12
- Despite adequate intake, ~30% of older adults have ↓
serum B12 levels - ↓ B12 linked to ↓ levels of HCL & pepsin (from atrophic gastritis) in aged persons resulting in inability to split B12 from protein carriers
- Synthetic or purified B12 is not protein bound and is much better absorbed
