Nutrition As It Relates To Aging

Essay by porcupinetreeUniversity, Bachelor's March 2009

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IntroductionNutrition remains significant all through life. Several chronic diseases that grow late in life, such as osteoporosis, can be due to poor habits earlier in one's life. Inadequate exercise as well as calcium intake, particularly during adolescence and early middle age, can considerably amplify the danger of osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become fragile and break or crack effortlessly.

But good nutrition in the afterward years still can assist lessen the effects of diseases prevalent amongst older people or progress the quality of life in individuals who have such diseases. They consist of osteoporosis, obesity, heart diseases, high blood pressure, some kind of cancers, gastrointestinal troubles as well as chronic under nutrition.

Studies explain that a healthy diet in later years helps both in decreasing the danger of these diseases and in managing the diseases' signs as well as symptoms. This adds to a higher quality of life, allowing older people to preserve their independence by continuing to achieve fundamental daily activities, such as bath, drinking, dressing as well as eating (Duyff , 2002).

Poor nutrition, alternatively, can lengthen recovery from illnesses, amplify the costs and frequency of institutionalization, and direct to a poorer quality of life.

DiscussionAs people grow older, people lose lean body mass. Reduced muscle mass comprises of skeletal muscle, smooth muscle as well as muscle that affects imperative or function, with loss of cardiac muscle possibly the most important one. Cardiac capacity can be decreased and cardiac function impaired by chronic diseases for example athero-sclerosis, hypertension or else diabetes. Changes also take place in the kidneys, lungs and liver, and in our capability to produce new protein tissue. Additionally, aging can slow down the immune system's comeback in producing antibodies.

The most important result of the loss of lean body mass might be the...