As we grow old, our body composition is bound to experience changes. The metabolic rate and lean body mass decline with age, therefore geriatric people have different nutritional requirements. Older people are more prone to malnutrition. Though there is a decrease in the requirement of some nutrients, yet studies have observed that the needs of some essential nutrients tend rises. Nutrition plays a major contributing factor in maintaining the overall health, wellness and functional ability. This is an alarming fact that elderly people are at risk of developing malnutrition. It was evident in one of the studies conducted in 2014 by Shivraj M. et al. The study comprised of 500 elderly Indian people of the age ≥65 years. 63% of subjects were from the urban population, whereas, 37% were from the rural area. The data obtained revealed that only 42.4% of subjects were well-nourished. 11.6% of elderly subjects were malnourished, while 46% were at risk of malnutrition. A similar study was conducted in Assam, India in 2013 to assess the nutritional status of the elderly. Out of the total 360 elderly subjects, 15% were malnourished whereas, 55% were at risk of malnutrition.
Most of the diseases occurring during the elderly stage like hypertension, diabetes, high blood lipid levels, osteoporosis, joints pain, digestive issues, etc. are a consequence of improper diet. Usually, micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent among elderly people. When this gets combined with age-related metabolic changes like decreased absorption of nutrients and other physiological changes in the body, it results in increased morbidity and mortality rate among this group.
To honour and acknowledge the steadfast and unconditional - love, care and support that we get from elderly people as Grandparents, this year National Grandparents Day will be celebrated on September 8. At Steadfast Nutrition understand the needs and importance of adequate nutrition, as we know the vitality of meeting the nutritional requirements at each phase of life. Be it a child, an active adult or elderly, nutrition is critical for all to maintain holistic health. Through this article let’s understand how Steadfast Nutrition Wellness range can help meet the immediate and long-term health needs of elderly people.
Elderly people often experience indigestion issues like acidity, belching, constipation, etc. due to various reasons like lack of dietary fibre, insufficient fluid intake, medications, reduced physical activity and more. Prolonged constipation also increases the risk of developing piles and haemorrhoids. Steadfast Nutrition Tri Fibre is a perfect solution to combat this situation. It is a blend of three soluble fibres with 100% fermentability. Being soluble in water, Tri Fibre is excellent in treating constipation making the stool soft with easy defecation. Apart from improving the bowel movement, Tri Fibre also helps in managing blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels, therefore, can easily be taken by diabetics. It is colourless, tasteless, odourless, heat and acid resistant, hence can effortlessly be included in the diet. Tri Fibre promotes the growth of probiotics resulting in overall gut health and reduces the risk of colon cancer.
Another deficiency disorder which dominates among elderly people is a pain in weak/soft bone joints and osteoporosis. Improper diet and insufficient exposure to sunlight can lead to vitamin D deficiency. Prolonged vitamin D deficiency results in soft and porous bones. Due to this an elderly person typically experiences bones and joints pain, they become more prone to stress and fall fractures. Steadfast Vitamin D3 is perfect for meeting the daily need and treat low levels of vitamin D. It helps in strengthening the bones by facilitating the absorption of calcium and phosphorus while maintaining bone density. Lack of vitamin D weakens the immune system, also affects heart and kidney function adversely. Therefore, Vitamin D is essential when it comes to geriatric nutrition. Adequate mineralisation means strong skeletal health.
Another nutrition supplement which can prove boon for elderly people is Collastead, a collagen powder supplement derived from type I or marine source. It is well known that as age advances, our body’s ability to synthesise collagen reduces. Inadequate dietary intake further results in muscle loss, wrinkling of the skin, hair thinning and brittle nails. Collastead acts as all-rounder collagen addressing all these issues. Elderly people suffering from joints inflammation and arthritic pain can also make use of Collastead because of the presence of rosehip plant extract. The rosehip plant helps relieve inflammation and protect cells from getting damaged. Collastead additionally helps reduce signs of ageing, wrinkles, improves elasticity, promote hair and nail health. Buy Collagen.
On this Grandparents Day, express your affection and care for your Grandparents, by gifting the highly beneficial wellness range of Steadfast Nutrition.
REFERENCES:
- Bennett, A. M(2016) Good Nutrition for the Older Person.Irish Nutrition + Dietetic Institute. Retrieved from www.indi.ie/
- Nutrition for older persons.(n.d.) WHO.Retrieved from https://www.who.int/
- Agarwalla, R., Saikia, A. M., & Baruah, R. (2015). Assessment of the nutritional status of the elderly and its correlates. Journal of family & community medicine, 22(1), 39–43
- Meena, Shivraj., Singh, V. B., Meena, B. L., Singh, Kusum., Meena, Neelam., Sharma, Dayal., Beniwal, Sanjay.(2014).STUDY OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN ELDERLY IN INDIAN POPULATION.INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CURRENT RESEARCH,6(11),10253-10257
- Rémond, D., Shahar, D. R., Gille, D., Pinto, P., Kachal, J., Peyron, M. A., … Vergères, G. (2015). Understanding the gastrointestinal tract of the elderly to develop dietary solutions that prevent malnutrition. Oncotarget, 6(16), 13858–13898
