Older people and functional foods

Citation

(2011), "Older people and functional foods", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 41 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2011.01741cab.003

Older people and functional foods

Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 41, Issue 3

This ILC-UK report reviews current dietary recommendations for older people, looks at consumer behaviour towards functional foods, and asks whether functional foods have a role to play in older people’s diets. The report finds that functional foods can have an important role to play in supporting older people’s health. They are not, however, a silver bullet; functional foods complement rather than replace a healthy diet. The report’s findings include:

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  dietary recommendations for older people treat them as a homogenous group and do not distinguish between different age groups;

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  older people who perceive themselves as needing the health benefit provided by a functional food, are more likely to consume it;

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  cholesterol lowering functional foods can help to lower “bad” and total cholesterol and can help older people to reduce a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease;

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  probiotic functional foods can have a positive effect on gastrointestinal health, most strongly for antibiotic-associated diarrhoea; and

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  existing UK-recommended daily intakes of vitamin D and calcium for older people appear out of step with current nutritional science.