Elderly need to emphasize good diet and exercise habits

Please note: Media Relations is unable to answer questions about pet health problems. Contact your veterinarian.

Source: Valentina Remig, 785-532-0172; e-mail: remig@k-state.edu
Pronounced REM (rhymes with femme)-IGG (rhymes with big)
News release prepared by: Mark Berry, 785-532-6415

Thursday, June 20, 2002

ELDERLY NEED TO EMPHASIZE GOOD DIET AND EXERCISE HABITS

MANHATTAN -- You work all your life. You try to eat right and exercise. When you reach retirement age, you just need to do what you've always done to stay healthy, right?

Wrong. Nutrition and exercise needs change as people age, said Valentina Remig, an assistant professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University.

The daily regimen may include supplements, but they must be used wisely. Sixty percent of the elderly use supplements, a percentage that is rising, Remig said. She said people should avoid relying heavily on vitamin pills, because nutrition scientists are constantly finding new healthy components in real food that provide benefits like lowering cholesterol and preventing cancer. These components have not been duplicated in pill form.

Remig said all-purpose multivitamins are safer than pills that deliver high doses of one vitamin or mineral. Multivitamins geared toward the elderly are also fine, Remig said.

"If they are buying a multivitamin, they are less likely to get too much of one and not enough of another," Remig said.

Some vitamin C pills, for example, contain a toxic amount, which is 10 times the recommended dietary allowance. And the body can become dependent on high levels of a vitamin. People on heavy doses of vitamin C pills can develop scurvy when they stop taking the pills, even if they only drop to a normal vitamin C intake.

"It isn't like putting too much sugar in your tea. A supplement really is a medication. I get nervous when I see people are buying over-the-counter stuff," Remig said.

Here are some more nutritional tips for the elderly:

* Find a pleasant way to get fiber in the diet. Fiber is another substance lacking in supplements. As the body ages, the gastrointestinal tract changes and people tend to develop more problems with constipation. A high-fiber diet can prevent that, but many elderly people, especially those with dentures, do not want to eat the seed-filled or crunchy food that is typically high in fiber. They instead go for soft, slippery food that is easily chewed, but is often high in fat. Cooked or baked vegetables, fresh fruit and high-fiber breakfast cereals are some denture-friendly ways to get fiber in the diet. Beans and black-eyed peas are also nutritious and inexpensive.

* Drink lots of fluids, despite the risk of a leak. The elderly have decreased thirst and often do not get enough fluids in their diet as a result. Getting plenty of fluids helps prevent constipation. The fiber nutritionists recommend is more effective in decreasing constipation when fluids are taken generously. Milk, tea, coffee, soda, ice cream and soup all count as fluids, Remig said.

"Many elderly people become incontinent and they realize that if they drink less, they will have less problems with going to the bathroom. If they are drier, they are less likely to have a leak or spill, but it's not as healthy," Remig said.

* Get more physical, not less. The amount of exercise needed depends on the person, but in general, people need to step up their activity as they get older. Elderly people often do the opposite, because of bad knees or arthritis. Instead of becoming guarded, they need to walk, bicycle, swim, garden and find other ways to stay on the move.

"As people get older, they get relaxed and get wider, fatter and less healthy. They've got leisure and they want to eat more and do less exercise," Remig said. "You work your whole life to have leisure, and when you get there, we tell you 'We didn't mean it. You still have to stay active.' You've got to continue the physical activity that you were used to and do a little bit more."