Nutritional challenges for the elderly

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Unintentional weight loss is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. By 2051, nearly 25% of the population will be over 65 years and 5% will be over 85 years.1 Although preventative health strategies commencing in early life are likely to have the greatest effect on chronic disease, significant reductions in morbidity and mortality can also be achieved through the adoption of healthy dietary practices in later life (between 70 and 90 years).2 Importantly, these lifestyle improvements are likely to allow us to maintain a good quality of life in our later years. The body composition of older people varies widely, with an increasing number of obese persons surviving into old age, but this is also coupled with an increasing number of underweight older people in those over the age of 80 years.4 The ageing process results in a reduction in skeletal muscle mass and body weight.5, 6 Height, body weight and body mass index (BMI) decreases after age 70 years.5 Increasing frailty (characterised by exhaustion, low walking speed and low hand grip strength) is seen in those over 70 years of age, resulting in reduced quality of life.7 Low body weight is associated with poor physical function, disability8 and a decline in muscle strength,9 and it is well established that being underweight is associated with increased mortality.10-12 Loss of body weight is associated with increased risk of hip fracture,13-15 reduced mobility16, 17 and increased mortality.18, 19 Underweight older people are at increased risk of consuming inadequate amounts of nutrients due to low energy intakes. These chronic diseases can also be combined with, and/or result in, reduced appetite,20 difficulties in self-feeding, poor mobility,21 dementia22 and depression.23 Those in residential care establishments are particularly at risk. One recent Australian study found that, on one day, more than half of the residents were at risk of consuming an inadequate energy intake,although wastage was not excessive and energy served was adequate.24 Common medical conditions associated with ageing, environmental issues relating to access of food, cooking facilities, social isolation and low income can further exacerbate nutritional problems. Malnutrition in the elderly is difficult to diagnose, as there is no one optimal single measurement and there is an acknowledgement that malnutrition is a continuum.25 However, most definitions of undernutrition do include an anthropometric measure (weight for height

Key findings

• Unintentional weight loss is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.
• By 2051, nearly 25% of the population will be over 65 years and 5% will be over 85 years.1 Although preventative health strategies commencing in early life are likely to have the greatest effect on chronic disease, significant reductions in morbidity and mortality can also be achieved through the adoption of healthy dietary practices in later life (between 70 and 90 years).2 Importantly, these lifestyle improvements are likely to allow us to maintain a good quality of life in our later years.
• The body composition of older people varies widely, with an increasing number of obese persons surviving into old age, but this is also coupled with an increasing number of underweight older people in those over the age of 80 years.4 The ageing process results in a reduction in skeletal muscle mass and body weight.5, 6 Height, body weight and body mass index (BMI) decreases after age 70 years.5 Increasing frailty (characterised by exhaustion, low walking speed and low hand grip strength) is seen in those over 70 years of age, resulting in reduced quality of life.7 Low body weight is associated with poor physical function, disability8 and a decline in muscle strength,9 and it is well established that being underweight is associated with increased mortality.10-12 Loss of body weight is associated with increased risk of hip fracture,13-15 reduced mobility16, 17 and increased mortality.18, 19 Underweight older people are at increased risk of consuming inadequate amounts of nutrients due to low energy intakes.
• These chronic diseases can also be combined with, and/or result in, reduced appetite,20 difficulties in self-feeding, poor mobility,21 dementia22 and depression.23 Those in residential care establishments are particularly at risk.
• One recent Australian study found that, on one day, more than half of the residents were at risk of consuming an inadequate energy intake,although wastage was not excessive and energy served was adequate.24 Common medical conditions associated with ageing, environmental issues relating to access of food, cooking facilities, social isolation and low income can further exacerbate nutritional problems.

Why it matters

The paper describes weight loss, frailty, and nutrition problems in older people and notes that healthy dietary practices in later life can reduce illness and death. It does not report any specific effect on Alzheimer's disease.

New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Risk factors, ranked →

Study details

• Study designcross-sectional
• Evidence strengthModerate

Read the original

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-0080.2007.00204.x
• Original source →

May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it.

@article{nowson2007-1d418836,
  author  = {Nowson, Caryl Anne},
  title   = {{Nutritional challenges for the elderly}},
  journal = {Nutrition \& Dietetics},
  year    = {2007},
  doi     = {10.1111/j.1747-0080.2007.00204.x},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-0080.2007.00204.x}
}

Studies this one cites

Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.

• A 32-year prospective study of change in body weight and incident dementia: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study Archives of neurology · 2005-01-01 · usefulness score 51/100 · Getting a diagnosis

Related studies in Risk factors

• Vision impairment and nutritional status among older assisted living residents Archives of gerontology and geriatrics · 2013-12-22 · usefulness score 61/100
• Applied nutritional investigation spatial variation and determinants of stunting among children aged less than 5 y in Ethiopia: A spatial and multilevel analysis of Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2019 Nutrition · 2022-07-01 · usefulness score 48/100
• Socioeconomic disparities and nutritional aging: how food insecurity and financial hardship accelerate health decline in older adults Frontiers in Nutrition · 2026-06-08 · usefulness score 41/100
• Nutritional Status is Associated With Severe Dementia and Mortality Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders · 2018 · usefulness score 40/100
• Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease: A Nutritional Toxicology Perspective of the Impact of Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Nutrigenomics and Environmental Chemicals Journal of the American College of Nutrition · 2019-12-12 · usefulness score 38/100
• Processed meat in the diet: general nutritional profile–protein quality and micronutrients Animal Frontiers · 2025-10-03 · usefulness score 36/100

Similar studies

• Nutritional Considerations for Healthy Aging and Reduction in Age-Related Chronic Disease 2017 · Prevention and risk
• Identifying the elderly at risk for malnutrition. The Mini Nutritional Assessment 2002 · Prevention and risk
• Nutritional status determinants and cognition in the elderly 2007 · Prevention trials
• Dietary patterns and cognition in older persons 2018 · Prevention trials
• The relevance of nutrition for the concept of cognitive frailty 2017 · Prevention trials
• A review of physical and cognitive interventions in aging 2014 · Prevention trials

More on Risk factors

• A review that covers this ground Susac syndrome: challenges in the diagnosis and treatment Brain : a journal of neurology · 2022-04-29 · usefulness score 45/100
• Newest in this subject Neuroscience-Informed Psychoeducation for Dementia: From Network Degeneration to Compassionate and Skilled Care PsyArXiv · 2026-10-28 · Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed · usefulness score 16/100
• Newest in this subject Geographic Heterogeneity in the Association Between Schooling and Cognitive Change Among Older Adults in India medRxiv · 2026-10-28 · Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed · usefulness score 16/100

See all studies in Risk factors →