Bowls and spoons of various legumes and different kinds of nuts walnuts kernels ,hazelnuts, almond kernels,brown pinto ,soy beans ,flax seeds ,chia ,red kidney beans and pecan set up on white wooden table.
For elderly friends, as they grow older, how to ensure physical health is an important aspect of ensuring the quality of life in their later years, and the issue of physical health care is also a comprehensive and multi-faceted important topic. Among the influencing factors of all aspects, reasonable Appropriate nutritional supplementation is an important aspect for the elderly to ensure their health.
As the age continues to grow, the human body will gradually become aging, and one of the characteristics is that the human body’s ability to absorb nutrients will further decline. Therefore, for elderly friends, more attention should be paid to reasonable dietary arrangements. It is mostly for the body to supplement the relevant nutrients reasonably. Only when the important nutrients needed by the body can be balanced and adequately intake, can the body’s health be better maintained. What nutrients should be supplemented by the elderly, and for the supplement of these nutrients, What are the precautions? Today we will talk about this topic.
Elderly people over 65 are prone to lack of these five nutrients in their bodies. In real life, we often hear this statement: You see, I am so fat, am I still lacking nutrition? In fact, this is a misconception. Some friends, especially elderly friends, are overweight or even obese, but it does not mean that they are not lacking in nutrition. Obesity represents excess calorie intake and accumulation of fat. However, some nutrients the body needs are not supplied in sufficient quantity.
It is a pity that long-term malnutrition often appears before related symptoms. However, if elderly friends often experience the following symptoms, they should be more alert to possible nutritional deficiencies:
- Frequent fatigue, especially abnormal physical fatigue
- Hair loss and brittle hair, more likely to break
- Frequent skin rashes
- The wound does not heal easily
- Pain in waist and leg, easy to fracture
- Skin rash or wound that cannot heal
- Frequent cracks in the lips
- Pale tongue
For a variety of nutrients, the elderly should pay attention to balanced intake and supplementation, but based on the actual situation, elderly friends should pay more attention to the key supplements of the following five types of nutrients.
The first is protein nutrition. The ability of the elderly to absorb and utilize protein will decrease. Therefore, if they do not pay attention to supplementary nutrition in their daily life, the elderly are prone to lack of protein. Protein is the basic nutrient of the human body. , Elderly friends who lack protein will experience muscle loss, decreased muscle capacity, decreased mobility and other problems, which may even have a serious impact on the quality of life and physical health of the elderly. Therefore, elderly friends should pay more attention to the intake of high-quality protein, such as eggs, milk, lean meat, etc., and proper intake can supplement the body with high-quality protein.
The second is the importance of calcium supplementation. The accelerated bone loss of the elderly is a high-risk group for osteoporosis. As an important mineral for bone formation, supplementing the body with sufficient calcium is an important aspect of preventing osteoporosis in the elderly and maintaining bone health in the elderly. For elderly friends over 65, you should pay more attention to calcium supplementation. The daily calcium supplement should be about 1200mg. Milk, cheese and other dairy products, soy products, seafood, meat, nuts, fortified cereals, etc. It is a good ingredient for calcium supplementation. If you can’t get enough intake through your daily diet, you can also consider taking dietary supplements to strengthen the supplement.
Among the various nutrients, vitamins are a very important type of nutrition. They play an important physiological role in maintaining the body’s various physiological functions and ensuring the body’s anti-oxidation and anti-aging ability. In nutrition, the elderly should pay attention to the following 3 kinds of supplements.
1. Folic acid. Folic acid is a member of the B vitamins (vitamin B9). For Chinese elderly people, especially those who like big fish and eat too little fresh fruits and vegetables, supplementation of folic acid is very necessary. Folic acid is a kind of Vitamin, it is not only an important coenzyme that promotes the growth and development of the nervous system. In the process of homocysteine metabolism, 5 methyltetrahydrofolate, the active metabolite of folic acid, is also an important reaction substrate. If the body lacks folic acid, The level of homocysteine in the body may increase, and the increase of this substance will increase the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke in the elderly, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. Therefore, elderly friends pay attention to the supplement of folic acid. In daily life, animal liver, green leafy vegetables, and various fruits are rich in folic acid.
2. Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is a B vitamin containing metal elements. Although our daily demand is not large, it is an important nutrient indispensable to the human body. Since food-derived vitamin B12 needs to be decomposed in the stomach and combined with internal factors, it will finally enter the intestines for absorption. Therefore, the decline in digestive ability of elderly friends will affect the absorption of vitamin B12. The elderly should pay more attention to the lack of vitamin B12. The possibility that the body lacks vitamin B12 may affect the health of the nervous system and cause peripheral neuropathy. Long-term lack of vitamin B12 may also cause megaloblastic anemia. It also deserves special attention. In all kinds of seafood, lean meat foods are rich in vitamin B12, the elderly should also pay more attention to supplement.
3. Vitamin D. Vitamin D supplementation and calcium supplementation are complementary to each other. Both of them are supplemented reasonably, which can better prevent the occurrence of osteoporosis in the elderly. Part of vitamin D comes from food intake, and the other part comes from the conversion of cortisol in the skin under sunlight. Older friends have less activity and less time in the sun, so the risk of vitamin D deficiency is also higher. Vitamin D deficiency not only affects bone health, but also affects muscle function and phosphorus metabolism, so more attention should be paid. Seafood, fish, animal meat, milk, mushrooms, etc. are all important sources of vitamin D intake.
It is important for the elderly to supplement nutrients in an appropriate and reasonable amount. Be careful not to overdose the two nutrients.
Many elderly friends see which nutrients are important, so they rush to buy related dietary supplements to eat, but there are two reasons everyone must first understand. The first is the supplement of nutrients. No supplement is better than a reasonable diet. Importantly, if you have money to buy health care products, it is better to spend more time thinking about daily reasonable diet. Nutrition supplementation through diet is the most healthy and safe way; second, the principle of “excessiveness is not enough” always applies, and the elderly supplement Nutrients are no problem. In some cases, it is perfectly possible to take some dietary supplements for further supplementation. However, even the nutrients needed by the human body are not the more the better. Reasonable supplementation and appropriate supplementation are the best supplement methods.
Take the five nutrients we mentioned above. For example, protein is the basic nutrient of the human body. However, long-term intake of a high-protein diet will also cause a greater burden on the filtration function of the kidneys, and may even impair kidney function. Cause certain negative effects; and excessive calcium supplementation may also have an impact on cardiovascular health. Among these 5 nutrients, some nutrients should be supplemented with care not to be excessive, especially folic acid and vitamin D.
For folic acid supplementation, in normal people, except for patients with pernicious anemia caused by folic acid deficiency, a daily intake of 0.8 mg is sufficient to meet the needs of the human body. In addition to daily dietary supplements, if you want to take dietary supplements, the recommended intake is also It should be 0.4mg to 0.8mg. It is not advisable to take too large doses to supplement. Excessive supplementation of folic acid will eventually be excreted by the body, but excessive supplementation of folic acid will mask the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency in the body and cause potential The health risks caused by the lack of vitamin B12. In addition, studies have found that although excessive folic acid supplementation does not increase the risk of cancer, for people who have already developed precancerous lesions, excessive folic acid supplementation may accelerate the occurrence and progression of cancer. It is worthy of us pay attention.
For vitamin D supplementation, for elderly friends over 65, a daily intake of 20μg (800IU) is sufficient. Excessive intake may also bring certain health risks. The maximum daily intake given by the Dietary Nutrition Association The intake is not more than 100μg. If it is supplemented in excess, excess vitamin D will cause the body to over-absorb calcium and cause hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia may cause nausea, muscle weakness, kidney stones, and heart. Many health problems, such as increased risk of vascular disease, are not worth the loss.
Some of the above-mentioned introductions and precautions for nutritional supplements for the elderly may not be comprehensive. I hope that they can serve as an inspiration to friends who see them. For nutritional supplements for elderly friends, consider their own situation and arrange their meals reasonably. , To ensure a balanced and adequate intake of nutrients, and at the same time pay attention to the reasonable combination and proper use of dietary supplements, to better ensure reasonable nutritional supplements and maintain good health.
