Everyone ages as time goes by. While, growing older is a natural part of life, our lifestyle influences how quickly we age and how we deal with becoming older. As such, ageing also generates concerns about ongoing health and vitality. The declines in physical and mental function due to ageing are caused partly by lifestyle and partly by the normal processes of ageing. There is plenty that individuals can do to stay healthy in the senior years. Central strategies involve keeping the body running smoothly and maintaining an active engagement with life. Adding more life to the years ensures that people can take pleasure in growing older.
Currently, the number of older people is higher than any other time in history and continues to increase, making healthy ageing a top priority. Projections show that older people will outnumber children under age five for the first time around 2015. In addition, during the past century, a major shift occurred in the leading causes of death for all age groups, including older adults, from infectious diseases and acute illnesses to chronic diseases and degenerative illnesses.
Statistics show that, more than a quarter of all Americans and two out of every three older Americans have multiple chronic conditions and treatment for this population accounts for 66 per cent of the country’s health care budget. This huge burden that ageing places on limited healthcare resources drives a clear trend toward consumer interest in self-care, fuelling an increased demand for dietary supplements and functional foods that support health in the elderly.
Nutrition plays such an important role in maintaining health in vulnerable older people that it has the potential to ease the load that ageing populations place on healthcare systems. Products that focus on a specific health benefit are likely to hold the most appeal and are predicted to show strong growth in the coming years.
In consideration of nutritional and lifestyle management of elderly, one should take into consideration on behavioural and physical changes of ageing consumers. Ageing consumers have different spending profiles that undergo significant transitions through the years. Early seniors aged from 50 to about 65 years of age tend to have lower living costs and likely enjoying a high income from reaching senior positions at work. This gives them a high disposable income, which they are willing to spend on value-added products that enhance their health.
From retirement until the age of 75, incomes are generally reduced but seniors expect to have good health and enjoy the freedom of not having to work, thus ready-to-go meals and snacks are attractive. As consumer’s age past 75, there can be a significant shift in spending patterns. Health conditions may be affecting their lifestyle, so consumers are looking for products that are easy to use and offer clear health benefits. This group has the highest focus on value-for-money. Natural foods are attractive, including those that are enhanced for the specific needs of seniors. Food that is easy to prepare, or has a smaller portion size for seniors’ reduced appetites caters to seniors.
By the age of 30, most of our age-related biological functions have reached a peak and start to gradually decline. While we cannot stop the march of the years, four key lifestyle factors can maximize the chance of leading a long and healthy life: not smoking, regular exercise, lots of fruit and vegetables for their vitamins and phytonutrients, and a moderate alcohol intake. A number of age related health concerns, such as cardiovascular deficiencies need particular attention. The ageing process starts at the cellular level. Both environmental and genetic mechanisms play a complex, interrelated role. Constant stream of damaging substances, such as by-products of our normal metabolism, sunlight, harmful chemicals and tobacco smoke toxins, can injure cells, proteins and DNA. This build-up of damaged cellular materials affects how cells function, and is further complicated by imperfect defence and repair mechanisms.
Specific organ systems are particularly affected by ageing. In the cardiovascular system, the heart’s capacity to pump effectively is considerably reduced and clogged arteries lose elasticity leading to high blood pressure. Hormonal changes due to ageing can have a profound effect on our metabolism and body systems such as our bones. Changes in the digestive tract due to ageing lead to a reduction in food intake or nutrient absorption, putting older people at greater risk of deficiencies.
Older people may have difficulty in absorbing nutrients, and declining taste and smell sensations may directly reduce food intake or alter normal food preferences. Lower lean body mass and deteriorating teeth also contribute to a reduced food intake. Taken together, this means that the intake of essential nutrients can be insufficient to meet the body’s needs. Negative consequences such as a depressed immune system, functional and cognitive decline result.
Nutrition plays a vital role in keeping the body running smoothly and preventing age related health problems. Staying mobile is very important for getting the most out of life as one ages. Mobility affects how easily we can get around, independence, and quality of life. The general decline in muscle mass with ageing is partly responsible for reduced mobility, but conditions such as painful joints, weak bones and general endurance play a role.
Vitamin D3 helps preserve mobility. Not only it is a key nutrient that can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, it is recommended to reduce the risk of bone fractures due to falls. This reduction in fracture risk is likely to come from Vitamin D’s positive influence on improving muscle strength and reducing body sway. Experts now support significantly increasing recommended intakes of Vitamin D because higher doses were found to be more effective in improving bone health. Thus Vitamin D3 is an important nutrient for older people and is recommended for bone health.
Maintaining cognitive function is important for people as they grow older and likewise common concern of ageing consumers is mental performance. Cognitive functioning affects our capacity to lead an independent, fulfilling life. It impacts on our memory, the capacity for us to process complex thoughts, and is essential for social activities. This is why it is important for seniors to prevent B-vitamin deficiencies, which can lead to reduced cognitive performance. Key evidence indicates that seniors may need to maintain higher levels of vitamin B12 in the body than younger people to prevent declines in mental facilities because of deficiency.
Seniors with markers of vitamin B12 deficiency had a poorer global cognition score and smaller brain volume, highlighting the need to be aware of the potential for deficiency in older people. Vitamin B6 is a related vitamin that contributes to maintaining cognitive function,particularly in elderly populations. Antioxidants like carotene and lutein may help protect the brain by neutralizing reactive molecules that can damage our brain cells, called reactive oxygen species.
A long term supplementation study and some population studies showed that ß-carotene could improve global cognitive functioning scores, particularly verbal memory. The omega-3 long chain PUFA, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), improved learning and memory in adults with age-related cognitive decline. Low levels of brain DHA was associated with decreased brain size and lower cognitive test scores in older adults. Together with lutein, omega-3 also improved verbal fluency and memory in an intervention trial. New evidence is accumulating that resveratrol may reduce the functional decline in brain cells and increase blood flow to the brain. Thus, certain nutrients that have been shown to contribute to normal cognition in older adults, such as vitamins B6 and B12, the carotenoids, beta-carotene and lutein, and omega-3 fatty acid DHA are of importance in nutritional consideration for ageing populations.
In summary, the ageing process should be supported by good nutrition and physical activity to maintain health, especially recognizing nutritional deficiencies can be a real issue in older populations,particularly folate, vitamins A, B12, C and D, as well as iron-deficiency anaemia. In addition, adequate intakes of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, lutein and zeaxanthin, and antioxidant vitamins and resveratrol, phytonutrient found in red wine and berries to address cardiovascular, cognitive and vision health maybe of consideration.
(The author is Head, Science & Innovation, HNH APAC, DSM Nutritional Products.)