Mother is old so doesn’t need to eat much!

• This is just another one of those lies and myths about older people.

• There is just no science behind this statement, yet most people still believe that older people don’t need to eat as much as younger people.

• Where do these myths come from???

• How often do I hear this! “You know Doctor, my Mother is 85 years old now”. “You know she doesn’t do much so she doesn’t need to eat much”.

• How wrong can you be!!

• There is no science behind it.

•  Loss of appetite with old age is NOT normal or expected.

• In fact, if the older person is frail, with multiple chronic medical conditions, and poor mobility with muscle weakness, then their energy (calories or kilojoules) and protein requirements may be much higher than that of an active younger person just to prevent further muscle breakdown and weight loss.

• Immobility with chronic illness in the elderly is associated with “hyper-catabolism” with an increased metabolic rate.

• The body uses up excessive amounts of protein from muscle to make energy, in combination with inadequate intake and the presence of inflammatory conditions or infections causing further muscle breakdown.

• These are the very types of frail patients  who need almost double the amount of calories/kilojoules and protein than a younger fit person would require.

• These frail elderly need much more energy and nutrients just to maintain nutritional balance, weight, and allow healing to take place.

• These frail elderly consume much more energy just to walk the same distance, and do the same daily activities as a younger fit person.

• They need to consume as much food as the young super fit Wests Tigers front row forward Rugby League players, which is 3 large hot meals a day plus lots of extra snacks just to maintain weight.

• Loss of appetite in older adults is a warning sign that there is something very wrong and needs to be properly medically assessed and diagnosed.

For more information read Dr Peter Lipski’s book “Your Elderly Parents Failing Health. Is It Ageing Or A Treatable Condition”.