I wrote last week (Healthy Youth Promise a Healthy Future, Arab News, April 5) about the importance of avoiding childhood obesity in order to prevent middle-age and old-age chronic disorders and live healthily. Today I will discuss the need for a nutrient-dense diet as we grow older.

As we age and reach the age 50, we tend to lose control of our health. Reckless health practices during youth take a toll on our bodies through the emergence of different chronic ailments in later years. Disorders may surface with symptoms like recurrent colds or infections, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and aches and pains. Undiagnosed and untreated they may develop into more serious illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and even cancer. However, healthy nutrition and good lifestyle habits during youth can pave the way to a better quality of life, free of long-term ills and healthier longevity.

Despite good health at the age of 50 and above, our dietary and supplementary needs change. Health demands for certain vitamins and minerals increase while others decline. These needs also vary in amounts as we reach the seventh or eight decades. Recent researches on optimum nutrition for the aging emphasize this difference in nutrient requirement, which is becoming more and more accepted by mainstream medicine.

Because our caloric intakes and energy expenditures are altered with age, our body requirements also follow these metabolic changes.

Age can affect appetite, activity, energy levels, and metabolic rate, which influence calorie consumption and nutrient absorption, resulting in decreased nutrient intake. To maintain physical, mental, and emotional health, the elderly should be directed toward nutrient-dense whole foods, while avoiding processed, refined, fried, fatty and sweetened foods along with those loaded with preservatives and additives. Such harmful foods and chemicals burden the aging body as it loses its ability to detoxify efficiently. The body becomes overwhelmed with toxic residues beyond its capacity to detoxify, a condition that leads to allergies, cancer and puzzling autoimmune complications.

Nutrient insufficiency is not unusual in the elderly due to malabsorption associated with age, antibiotics and long-term drugs, diabetes, hypertension, indigestion (lack of stomach acids), constipation or diarrhea. Stress caused by social, financial, physiological and psychological factors such as low income and loneliness, as well as diminished sensitivity to smell and taste. Inability to chew (loss of teeth) or swallowing difficulties also affect the body’s ability to benefit from some essential nutrients.

Deteriorating eyesight and hearing lead to decreased appetite and low interest in food and life. Despite recent researches on health, not much has been conclusively published explaining the inefficient process of an aging digestion that leads to the malabsorption of certain nutrients.

What we know, through blood, urine and stool analyses, is that older individuals are generally low in many nutrients like vitamins A, B5, B12, C, D and E, folic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc. Unfortunately, the causes have not yet been pinpointed. Whether these deficiencies are generated from digestive malabsorption, insufficient nutrient consumption or metabolic changes, it is important to seek early diagnosis of malnutrition to prevent the creeping of chronic disorders and sustain strong health and immunity to prolong healthy years.

A healthy digestion plays a major role in averting deficient conditions. One third of 60-year-olds and above are short on stomach acid or do not produce it at all; a condition that can contribute to malabsorption of nutrients like folic acid, calcium, iron, and vitamin B12. Thus, correcting an ailing digestion becomes imminent in improving the health and immunity of the elderly.

In general with age, the immune defenses tend to decline due to toxic residue, inefficiency of certain systems or insufficiency of immune-boosting nutrients like zinc, selenium and vitamin B6. When immunity is compromised; risk of infection rises. Supplementing deficiencies with high doses of nutrients lowers risk. The following nutrients can become helpful supplements, but with your physician’s advice.

Vitamin A can improve poor vision, dry skin, and weak immunity in the elderly, but big doses of the vitamin can be toxic, making beta carotene, its precursor, a better form to take.

The B vitamins can become insufficient in the body with age, leading to inefficient mental responses, skin and hair problems, lowered immunity, depression, general weakness and gastrointestinal disorders. Vitamin B1 controls blood pressure and weight and improves sleep quality and energy levels. B6 deficiency can increase risk of heart disease. Folate (another B vitamin) insufficiency can raise “harmful” homocysteine levels and aggravate mental difficulties in older people. Due to age-related low stomach acid, vitamin B12 passes through the digestive tract unabsorbed, leading to suppressed immunity, mental impairment, and neurological disorders similar to Alzheimer’s disease. The other B vitamins are important, too.

Vitamin D synthesis in the body, through exposure to sunlight, diminishes with age along with its absorption from food. A supplement of 400-600 IU of the vitamin and exposure to sunlight are required to lower risk of osteoporosis, arthritis, cartilage damage, fractures, atherosclerosis, diabetes and even cancer. The vitamin also increases absorption of calcium for building bone mass.

Vitamin C in the elderly is often low, resulting in suppressed immunity and increased infections, cataracts and cardiovascular disorders. Citrus fruit, berry, tomato, kiwi, cabbage family, pepper and leafy green consumption plus a 400 mg supplement can lower such risks.

Vitamin E deficiency can contribute to cardiovascular disease, cataracts, cancer and Parkinson’s disease. By improving the immune defenses with increased dietary (nuts and wheat germ) intake and 800-1,000 IU supplement, such disorders can be prevented or minimized.

Calcium deficiency is associated to many health disorders like hypertension, osteoporosis and fractures, especially after menopause. Around 1,000 mg of calcium (dairy products, leafy greens, cabbage family, nuts, seeds) along with vitamins D, C, and K, zinc and magnesium improve bone mass and control bone loss.

Iron (leafy greens, dry fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds) becomes deficient with age due to reduced gastric acid. Malabsorption leads to low iron blood plasma, resulting in fatigue, heart disease and decrease in mental responses. However, excess iron can contribute to iron overload that can increase susceptibility of heart disease, liver problems, oxidation and more.

Magnesium insufficiency is not unusual with age. The mineral regulates blood pressure and reduces risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and others. Green vegetables, nuts, whole grain and legumes are good sources of magnesium.

Selenium plays an important role in the production of antioxidant enzymes to protect against cell oxidation. Elderly individuals need it more for such conditions as impaired thyroid and immune functions. The mineral, found in oysters, tuna, mushrooms, cabbage, and chicken, helps prevent mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and fatigue, resulting in poor appetite and low food intake.

Zinc-rich foods like shrimps, ginger, lamb, nuts, egg yolk and whole grains can improve sense of taste and appetite and reduce the need for sugary and salty foods that add to malnutrition. It speeds wound healing and recovery from infections by enhancing immunity.

Sodium, on the other hand, should be reduced by elderly people suffering from high blood pressure. High salt intake can trigger bone loss.

Finally to whatever condition nutrient deficiency leads, imbalances should be corrected by eating nutrient-rich foods or taking supplements after testing. It is also important to increase gastric acid and treat constipation (by drinking plenty of water and eating high fiber whole foods) or diarrhea (by having live culture yogurt) to enhance nutrient absorption and efficiency of digestion. A good way to improve stomach acid is to start with a salad that contains enough vinaigrette or lemon dressing, olives or pickles. Vegetables should be eaten more often. A few drops of lemon with soup, stews and vegetables can enhance gastric acid. An improved nutrient absorption leads to stronger immunity and healthier long life.

(Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected]. Log on to arabnews.com for previous articles.)