How to eat right to age well

As you get older, your body's energy needs drop; at the same time, demands for some nutrients increase. New studies indicate some of these can slow the aging process. Here are some tips for eating healthily into old age.

While aging is inevitable, many of the degenerative changes that prevail past middle age are not if preventive steps are taken. Recent medical research confirms that good nutrition can prevent, or at least slow, such debilitating conditions as osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease. In fact, one report estimates that one-third to one-half of the health problems of people over the age of 65 are related to diet.

Proper nutrition is an important part of any "aging-well" strategy. Yet, on the whole, seniors are the most poorly nourished group of all North Americans. There are many reasons for this:

• A person's appetite and the senses of taste and smell decline with age, making food considerably less appealing.
• Many older people experience difficulty chewing.
• In addition, heartburn, constipation, lactose intolerance and other digestive problems increase with age and contribute to poor nutrition.
• Stomach acidity also declines with age, impairing absorption of nutrients.
• The loss of a partner, or difficulty in shopping or preparing meals, may result in a person subsisting on tea, toast, sweets, canned soups and other convenience foods that provide little nutrition.
• Also, a number of older people living on a fixed income usually cannot afford such nutritious foods as fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and meat.

A person's body composition changes with age, as muscle mass decreases, often due to disuse and fatty tissue increases. Because metabolism slows down, fewer calories are required.

• Experts estimate that the average person should consume 10 percent fewer calories for every decade after the age of 50.
•  A 50-year-old who needs 1,800 calories a day will require 1,440 at age 70, and perhaps even fewer if he is sedentary.
• People who fail to cut back on food intake are likely to gain weight, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and osteoarthritis.