Advancing age does have perks: wisdom, recreational vehicles and, now,
sanctioned snacking.
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
1999-2002, Claire Zizza, a researcher at
Auburn
University
's Department of Nutrition and Food Science, compared the diets of more
than 2,000 senior citizens 65 and older.
She found that the 84 percent who snacked consumed significantly more
daily calories (protein, carbohydrates and total fat) than those who
didn't.
While snacking is the bane of most dieters, it could be good for older
people, a population vulnerable to under-eating, Zizza says.
"As people age, their calorie intake tends to decrease for any
number of reasons — changes in taste sensations, medical conditions or
depression," Zizza says. "When you start to lose weight as an
older individual, that's a sign of failing health."
Healthful snacking has particular merit for older people, agrees
Colleen Sundermeyer, nutritionist and author of "Emotional Weight:
End Diet Behavior Forever."
Older people generally eat more slowly, she says, which causes them to
reach satiety sooner.
"Snacking doesn't leave the elderly feeling too full and
uncomfortable," she says.
This matters because when the body runs out of fuel, it begins to break
down muscle, bones and organs.
The study was published in the May issue of the Journal of the American
Dietetic Association.
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