Alimentação e estado nutricional de idosos nos últimos dez anos: uma revisão crítica da literatura

Abstract

Aging is marked by physiological and social changes that have occurred over the years.In this context, food, health and aging are closely linked, ie food contributes to healthy aging and maintenance of adequate nutritional status. This study aimed to characterize the evolution of diet and nutritional status of the elderly in the last ten years. A critical review of the literature was carried out based on scientific research: Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Google Academic, LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Public Health) and MEDLINE (International Literature on Health Sciences). Articles published between 2006 and 2016 that cover one of the topics studied were reviewed: eating habits and nutritional status of the elderly. Eighteen studies were selected, with eight studies addressing the diet of the elderly, and 10 studies addressing the nutritional status of the elderly. Studies show that the elderly population is eating a monotonous diet because they consume few foods, low consumption of vegetables and some micronutrients, complex carbohydrates, proteins and unsaturated fats. It was also observed a higher prevalence of overweight in the elderly population.