[Dietary intake recommended for elderly persons]

Abstract

Recommendations for dietary intake in elderly persons must account for wide interindividual variation. We propose different recommendations for: generally self sufficient elderly persons in good health. The recommended dietary intakes are very similar to those for adults, with a few exceptions (reduced calorie intake, the importance of protein and certain vitamins or minerals: vitamins B6, D, C, calcium, zinc ...); patients with an intercurrent disease or an event causing a loss of appetite and a reduction in dietary intake. Recommendations for these subjects should aim at correcting or preventing deficiencies by the use of supplementary and complementary nutritional products; subjects in a state of protein-calorie malnutrition. Recommended dietary intake should take into account the effect of malnutrition on the digestive functions of the pancreas and the intestine in the elderly. Such recommendations must be based on the findings of numerous studies now being carried out and of which we report here the first results.