Review of the Nutritional Status in Older Adult Population

Abstract

The leading causes of death in older adults involve nutritional risk factors, heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. Prevalence of lifestyle diseases, older adults consider themselves in good, very good or excellent health. Older adults want to remain independent and not burden others; they believe proper nutrition and sufficient exercise will help them maintain their autonomy and independence. To describe the diet, nutrition and general health status of the older adult population in Spain and their adherence to the traditional MD. A bibliographic search was performed in the following databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar for original research articles, clinical trials, and observational studies published in the last 10 yrs. The articles were selected using filters and eligibility criteria. Many articles were found, and through applying the selection criteria, 21 articles were chosen for a full review. Older adults present a multitude of pathologies that are treated with drugs that with the help of an optimal diet would promote a better quality of life. Cognitive deterioration leads older adults to suffer a great loss of quality of life and must be alleviated in the best way possible. Most people meet dietary needs, but high body mass indexes are obtained. MD is a reference and a technique put into practice by this part of the population that is developed in most of life and helps them to have better aging.