Adults over 50 as a group don't have good nutrition

Dr. Chris Taylor, PhD, RDN, LD, professor of Medical Dietetics and Family Medicine at Ohio State University says that another group that may need early intervention in nutrition education is older adults. What may surprise many is the age group that needs it.

“We learned that adults in their 50s exhibit the poorest diet quality,” Taylor said. “Many of them are still working full time and are more likely to eat out.” They’re less likely to meet appropriate nutrient thresholds and tend to consume poorer quality food.

“These are adults who aren’t setting a stage for successful aging,” Taylor said. “Typically, we don’t counsel people on nutrition until there’s a problem [like obesity or diabetes]. We need to understand how important nutrition is to successful aging strategies. We need to start talking earlier rather than addressing poor outcomes when adults are in their 60s or 70s.

“The single nutrient perspective makes you miss the important point. Just focusing on one element like low carbohydrates doesn’t help us understand the big picture. What strategies should you employ? You need to look at the influence of the entire diet.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32996366/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31181765/