Physiological changes and their effects on diet

Weight

When someone's weight changes significantly, in the short or longer term, this reflects a change in their state of health and requires a medical check-up. It is therefore important to weigh yourself regularly, once a month for example. Record your weight on the calendar or in a notebook.

Slow weight change

Weight loss or gain over the course of several weeks, or even several months, reflects an imbalance between energy input (food intake) and energy expenditure (functioning of the body and physical activity).

Rapid weight change

Weight loss or gain over the course of a few days is often due to a fluctuation in water in the body. Gaining more than 2kg in one week is a sign of water retention in the body, which is manifested by heavy legs that swell up in the evenings; it can be linked to the worsening of an illness, medication or a treatment that doesn't agree with you.

In any event, consult your family doctor without delay.

Excess weight

Generally, being very heavy increases the risk of illness. However, with age, being overweight or obese does not have the same impact on health as it does in young people. In an elderly person, it does not seem that weight loss improves health; on the contrary, in some situations, being overweight may protect the person: fewer femoral neck fractures, better recovery, convalescence.

Weight loss

Losing more than 1 or 2kg in a week is often a sign of dehydration. You are dehydrated if you have the following symptoms: dry mouth and difficulty swallowing dry food, or sometimes any type of food. The skin becomes wrinkled and the urine is dark. Force yourself to drink the recommended amount and contact your doctor, as being dehydrated is particularly dangerous. Losing 5% of your normal weight in one month, or 10% in 6 months, is a sign of illness or malnutrition, and therefore a genuine health risk. Consult your family doctor.

Bone fragility

Osteoporosis is a common bone demineralisation that increases with age and affects both women and men. It results in fragile bones, with an increased risk of fractures after falling or tripping, and can even cause spontaneous fractures.

The following factors increase the risk of osteoporosis:

• Age: people over 65 are at greater risk;
  

• Sex: women are affected earlier than men;
  

• Lack of physical exercise;
  

• Lifelong insufficient dietary calcium intake;

• Lack of vitamin D caused by limited exposure to sunlight or insufficient dietary vitamin D intake;
  

• Smoking;
  

• Excessive alcohol consumption;
  

• High caffeine consumption (coffee, chocolate, cola, energy drinks).

Osteoporosis can be prevented by ensuring sufficient daily intake of:

• protein, to preserve bone strength and muscle mass, which supports the skeleton;  

• calcium, to maintain the bones;

• vitamin D, to help the body absorb calcium.
  

• In addition, regular physical activity plays an important role in preventing osteoporosis by stimulating bone formation.

Tips

• Eat a portion of meat, fish or eggs every day, for their high protein content. Try eating more pulses, which are also a good source of protein. Have 3 or 4 portions of dairy products per day. You can also drink mineral water with a high calcium content (more than 300mg/litre).

• Do the equivalent of at least 30 minutes of brisk walking every day, as well as a few strengthening exercises to engage your muscles;

• Make sure you get enough vitamin D, which the body makes through the action of sunlight on the skin. Vitamin D is also found in the following foods: oily fish (tuna, mackerel, herring, sardines, salmon), egg yolks, full-fat dairy products and products enriched with vitamin D (e.g.: milk, yoghurt and cheese, oils, breakfast cereals).

Insufficient exposure to sunlight can cause vitamin D deficiency. Normal outdoor activity all year round and 10 minutes per day outside with bare arms, weather permitting, is sufficient to meet your vitamin D requirements. However, take care not to spend too long in the sun without adequate protection. In summer, stay out of the sun between the hours of 11.00 and 15.00. In hot weather, remember to drink plenty.  

Taste perception

Although the data varies widely, it does however appear that taste sensitivity declines from the age of around fifty.

A functional change in the gustatory cells is mainly responsible for the decline in sensitivity to taste. Other factors such as the composition of saliva, dental problems (tooth loss, ill-fitting dentures, gum inflammation, etc.) reduce the ability to chew properly. When we chew, the food releases flavours that stimulate our appetite.

Olfactory sensitivity also decreases with age. Reasons can include nasal obstruction or a change in the flow of air. In addition, changes in sensory perception are accentuated by certain pathologies and/or drug treatments. These sensory alterations essentially affect the pleasure of eating and our interest in food.

To remedy this, let your imagination run wild: Play with the colours of the food, try different recipes, different textures, use colourful tablecloths or placemats, ...