Nutrition

Due to the pivotal role proper nutrition plays in preserving health, preventing morbidity and premature death in older adults, and the myriad of factors that can compromise nutritional status in older age, there is a critical need to provide well-founded recommendations for age-related changes in energy requirements. However, the heterogeneity of the aging population, along with the inaccuracy of traditional energy intake methods to assess energy requirements, have hindered the development of such recommendations.

The development of the doubly labeled water technique has enabled the accurate measurement of daily energy expenditure in free-living individuals. The majority of doubly labeled water studies have suggested that current recommendations may underestimate the actual energy needs of the elderly population. Despite the cost, long-term longitudinal studies utilizing this new method are needed to accurately assess the age-related changes in energy requirements.