Nutrition in the elderly

Nutrition is the process by which the body incorporates the substances necessary for its proper functioning (growth, maintenance, repair, etc.). We usually get these substances, called nutrients, through food. This is the voluntary act by which individuals consume food to obtain nutrients from it. Thus, food is a voluntary and conscious act and nutrition is the unconscious consequence.

Nutrients are those substances necessary for the maintenance of life and health of organisms. In a simple way, nutrients can be classified into:

• Carbohydrates: they are the main source of energy and are made up of glucose, sucrose, fructose and other starches.
• Proteins: they are the basic structural units, something like the "building blocks" for the formation of muscle, skin, nerves, organs, enzymes, etc. They are formed from chains of smaller units called amino acids; Some of them can only be obtained from food, the so-called essential amino acids, which would work like vitamins.
• Lipids: from fats, they are essential for the maintenance of cell membranes and their function. The imbalance of fats is involved in the development of cardiovascular problems (such as heart attack, for example).
• Water: essential to carry out bodily functions and the physical and chemical reactions of life.
• Minerals: such as sodium, potassium and iron, are essential elements for the functioning of basic mechanisms (oxygen transport, function of cell membranes, etc.). The main ones are the so-called macroelements and those that must be present in less quantity are the so-called microelements (magnesium, zinc, copper, etc.), which help the function of enzymes, the "tools" made of proteins in the body.
• Vitamins: more or less complex substances that, despite being essential for the body's function, cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained from food.

The nutritional status in the elderly is essential, since poor nutrition increases morbidity and mortality, worsening the prognosis and the evolution of a multitude of chronic processes (hypertension, osteoporosis, kidney failure, etc.).

In older people, food and nutrition can be affected by factors such as mood, social and care networks, socioeconomic level, state of maintenance of the mouth and teeth, style and habits of life and intercurrent diseases . All this has to be taken into account to build nutritional and dietary recommendations appropriate to each patient, without forgetting personal preferences and tastes.

A correct supply of nutrients must cover the particular needs of the individual, both basal and regarding the control of diseases and their consequences, and also prevent or reduce the alterations of the aging process itself.