Nutrition during Adulthood

Adult years divided into three stages:

• 19-50 young adulthood

• 51-70 middle adulthood

• >70 older adulthood

Changes in nutritional needs (assumes an optimal health status!)

• Calcium

  • Increase over the age of 50 (from 1000 mg to 1200 mg)

  • Response to bone loss and poor absorption
    

• Vitamin B₁₂

  • Increase over the age of 50

  • 10-30% may not efficiently absorb food-bound B12

  • Factors that may cause insufficient B12 absorption: Antacids, Tagamet (for ulcers), Colchicine (for gout)

  • Recommend eat food fortified with B12 or take a supplement

• Vitamin D

  • Increase in two divisions

  • Middle adulthood (from 5ug/day to 10ug/day)

  • Older adulthood (from 10ug/day to 15ug/day)

  • Increase in Vitamin D in response to a need for higher calcium absorption

• Chromium

  • Decease over the age of 50

  • In females: from 25ug/day to 20ug/day

  • In Males: from 35ug/day to 30ug/day

  • Response to decreased insulin production

• Iron

  • Decease over the age of 50 in females (from 18mg/day to 8mg/day)

  • Response to menopause

•  Fiber

  • Decrease over the age of 50

  • In females: from 25g/day to 21g/day

  • In males: from 38g/day to 30g/day

• Water - dehydration very common in older adulthood

• Energy

  • Mobility changes

  • 1600-1800 kcals consumed a day (down from 2300-2800 kcals)
    

Reasons for changes in diet:

• Physical and functional changes

  • Gastrointestinal changes

    • Constipation

    • Malabsorption

    • Decreased acid production

  • Decline in dental health

  • Reduced thirst sensation

  • Changes in liver, gall bladder, and pancreatic function

    • Liver – cirrhosis – due to alcoholism

    • Gall bladder – gall stones – due poor diet

    • Pancreas – decreases insulin production

  • Reduced immune function

    • Eating too little – malnutrition

    • Eating too much – obesity

    • Not consuming enough protein, vitamins and zinc

  • Reduced lung function

  • Reduced hearing and vision

  • Decrease in lean tissue

  • Increase in fat stores

  • Decline in bone health

• Behavioral changes

  • Taste capacity/appetite/food intake

  • General attitudes, practices and beliefs – differences in diet planning principles

• Social and Economical changes

  • Loss of family and friends

  • Depression, anxiety, and loneliness

  • Cost of living increases, elderly population at poverty