Nutrition for Older Adults : 229 Articles

If you're over 65, eating right and exercising can make a big difference in how you spend your senior years.  A healthy diet can increase your energy level, mental acuity, resistance to infection as well as reduce the risk of health problems prevalent among older adults. This section contains information that can help you stay healthy and active as you age.

U.S. Food Pyramid for Older Adults updated

After almost a decade, the American Food Guide Pyramid for Older Adults has been revised. The new recommendations warn that people over 70should be careful about getting…

Longer life linked to Mediterranean diet

Eating a Mediterranean diet may lengthen your life, according to the first study looking at diet and mortality in the U.S. population. The common pattern of the Mediterranean diet includes:…

A healthy diet may reduce risk of Parkinson's

A diet focused on fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, poultry, and fish could lower risk of Parkinson's by as much as 32 percent, say researchers from the Harvard School of Public…

High GI foods linked to cataracts

People who eat plenty of high glycemic index (GI) foods may be upping their chances of developing a cataract, say Welsh researchers. Glycemic index refers to how quickly a carbohydrate-rich…

Eat fatty or lean fish – both benefit aging brain

Eating oily fish is thought to be good for the brain because of the omega-3 fats. However, researchers from the University of Oxford believe that other components of fish may account for its…

Fish, fruits and veggies may lower risk of dementia

People who eat fish, fruits and vegetables regularly may be lowering their risk of dementia, say French researchers. In this study, 8,085 healthy men and women over the age of 65 were tracked…

Fish could be brain food

Three new studies have found that fish and the fatty acids in fish may improve cognitive performance, particularly in the elderly. The first study from Norway compared the fish intake of over…

Low vitamin D levels linked to hip fracture

Women with low levels of vitamin D have an increased risk of hip fractures, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh. This study analyzed data from 400 women who had suffered a…

Mediterranean diet extends life of Alzheimer's patients

Benefits of the Mediterranean diet include lower risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Now American researchers are adding Alzheimer's disease to the list. In the study,…

Carotenoids in food may prevent blindness

Eating more foods that are high in carotenoids may prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to American eye health researchers. In this study, the dietary habits of 4,519…

Flavonoid rich diet reduces mental decline

According to French researchers, a diet rich in flavonoids from fruit, vegetables, coffee, tea and chocolate may slow the mental decline associated with age. To research the effects of…

Folic acid lowers risk of stroke

Folic acid, best known for preventing birth defects in unborn children has now been linked to lowering the risk of stroke. After analyzing data from eight randomized controlled studies,…

Omega-3 linked to eye health

Study findings published in the Archives of Ophthalmology suggest that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids could cut the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration by up to 40 percent.…

Daily snacking important for older adults

According to a study findings released in the May 2007 Journal of the American Dietetic Association, snacking can be beneficial for older adults. Calorie consumption among older people…

Vitamin B12 may reduce age-related dementia

According to researchers from the University of Michigan, increased levels of vitamin B12 may reduce age-related cognitive decline and dementia. Researchers recruited over 1400 older Mexican…

Selenium may slow age related cognitive decline

French researchers have found that the natural decline in mental function that happens with age may be increased due to low blood selenium levels. Researchers from the University of…

Folic acid supplement slowers cognitive decline

Dutch researchers report that older adults who receive a daily folic acid supplement have improved memory and slower rate of cognitive decline. Researchers randomly assigned 818 older adults…

Folate cuts Alzheimer’s risk

Researchers report that an increased intake of folate, from both diet and supplements, may halve the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Researchers analyzed the diets of over 960…

Folic acid guards against hearing loss

Researchers from the Netherlands report that folic acid supplements may prevent age-related hearing loss in older adults. The study of more than 700 men and women between the ages of 50 and…

Vitamin E doesn’t slow cognitive decline

Harvard researchers report in the Archives of Internal Medicine that taking a vitamin E supplement does not slow age-related cognitive decline. In the randomized, double-blind study, 6300…