Proteins are useful for old people
For a successful independent life, elderly people need to maintain the ability to take basic daily care of themselves and run a household. Basic self-care includes: self-eating, taking a bath/shower, dressing and going to the toilet. In addition, it is necessary to handle finances independently and have the mobility necessary to visit shops and participate in social life.
The extinction of these abilities can lead to problems that negatively affect the quality of life and independence. In modern society, people aged 85 and older form the fastest growing age group, which is at the highest risk of losing the above-mentioned abilities. This prompted scientists to search for approaches that would help older people to maintain their independence longer. Recently, researchers from the University of Newcastle, working under the guidance of Dr. Nuno Mendonca, decided to find out whether the use of protein foods by older people can help preserve their independence.
It is known that the use of proteins helps to slow down the atrophy of muscle mass. A sufficient amount of muscle tissue is necessary to maintain the ability to perform daily tasks and prevent the development of disability. The elderly are characterized by a tendency to reduce the consumption of protein foods compared to young people. This is due to the deterioration of health, decreased physical activity and changes in the condition of the oral cavity and teeth.
To identify the alleged relationship between the consumption of protein foods and the disability of older people, the authors used data collected during the Newcastle 85+ Study. As part of this work, data were collected on all residents of two English cities who turned 85 in 2006. At the beginning of the study (2006-2007), the number of participants was 722, of which 60% were women. All participants provided the researchers with information about their daily diet, body weight and height, general health status (including the level of disability), as well as medical history.
Data analysis showed that more than a quarter (28%) of the participants did not have the amount of protein consumed that was recommended by nutritionists. The researchers also note that older people with various chronic diseases may have different protein needs.
According to the hypothesis originally formulated by the authors, the consumption of more proteins is associated with a slowdown in the development of disability in very old people, which also depends on their muscle mass and muscle strength. To study the potential positive effect of eating an adequate amount of protein on health, they analyzed the relationship between protein intake and worsening disability over 5 years of follow-up.
The results of the analysis fully confirmed the hypothesis. Participants who consumed more protein at the beginning of the study developed disability much less frequently than participants who consumed little protein.
According to Dr. Mendonka, the data obtained support modern ideas according to which increasing the recommended daily intake of proteins will help older people in maintaining activity and healthy aging. Elderly people should eat 1-1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. You can determine the amount of protein you need, as well as other nutritional needs, using an online calculator https://fnic.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dri-calculator/index.php (do not forget to choose a metric measurement system, if necessary, you can translate into Russian in the Chrom browser).
Article by Nuno Mendonça et al. Protein intake and disability trajectories in the very old: The Newcastle 85+ Study is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Research.
Evgenia Ryabtseva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to the materials HealthinAging.org : For Older Adults, Does Eating Enough Protein Help Delay Disability?