Significance of optimal nutrition of elderly

Abstract

Adequate nutrition is of the crucial importance during different stages of life cycle and represents a major condition for the humans well being. Inadequate nutrition is a morbogenic factor for development and progression of many chronic diseases. Therefore the concept of optimal nutrition gains every day more on its_ importance. An important nutritional finding over the past several decades with widespread public health implications is that high consumption of plant foods, rich in biological active compounds, provides measurable protection against many chronic diseases. The concept of optimal nutrition does not provide only adequate intake of all necessary nutrients, but as well certain active compounds, necessary for promotion of well being and risk reduction for chronic disease. Owing to numerous physiological changes that are in correlation with the process of aging, it is necessary to emphasize the role of optimal nutrition for elderly in order to prevent nutrients' deficiencies. In this sense, nutritional supplementation has a major significance.

Pravilno dizajniranom ishranom mogu se obezbediti nutritivne potrebe starijih osoba, pri čemu se mora voditi računa o pravilnom izboru namirnica. Ovo podrazumeva koncept optimalne ishrane koja ne obezbeđuje samo potreban, adekvatan unos nutrijenata, u smislu izbegavanja deficita određenog nutrijenta, već i povoljan zdravstveni efekat, u smislu promocije zdravlja i smanjenja rizika od nastanka bolesti, kao i ublažavanja pojedinih simptoma već postojećih bolesti. Usled mnogobrojnih promena koje sa sobom nosi neminovan proces starenje veoma je važno obratiti pažnju na značaj pravilne ishrane u ovom periodu, da bi se pravovremeno izbegli mogući deficiti određenih nutrijenata. U ovom smislu suplementacija ishrane starijih osoba ima poseban značaj.