Functional Foods for Elderly People in Residential Care Units

Running head: FUNCTIONAL FOODS
FUNCTIONAL FOODS
Name of the University
Author Note

FUNCTIONAL FOODS
Target population
This report aims to focus on the diets of the elderly people in residential care units in
Wales, United Kingdom.
Rationale for choosing the target population
The choice of the target population is guided by the fact that elderly people living in
the residential care units are susceptible to nutrient deficiency. Adults tend to have fewer
calories due to the decreased appetite and the activity levels. Such decrease in the intake of
the calories causes deficient levels of the vitamins and the minerals. Dietary deficiencies in
the older adults can be due to a number of factors like forgetfulness due to ageing, loss of
apetite and the financial factors that limits the decisions of the food purchasing. Furthermore
presence if several comorbidities and medications also reduces the ability of the body to
absorb the nutrients (Bamford et al., 2012).
There had been evidences that the nutritional intake of the older people living in
residential care units are suboptimal with high levels of saturated fat, salt and added sugars.
Despite of receiving a 24 hours of service for the older people living in the care homes, they
remain vulnerable to the malnutrition. According to the international estimates, the
malnutrition vary as per the level of care and the methods of assessment, still ranging from
14%- 65% in the aged residential care (Bamford et al., 2012).
The UK food standard care agency has therefore established dietary guidelines for the people
staying in residential care units.

FUNCTIONAL FOODS
Effect of inadequate nutrition in older adults (80+)
Inadequate nutrition among the elderly people might lead to several comorbidities.
Malnutrition might lead to vitamin deficiency diseases, reduction in the bone mineral density
hindering the quality of life by decreasing the ability of the older people to carry out the daily
chores of life. Dietary fats seems to be associated with the degenerative diseases like cancer
of the common, prostate and pancreas. Atherogenic risk factors like increase in the blood
sugar level, glucose intolerance are all affected by the dietary factors, which play a significant
role in the development of the coronary heart disease in old age.
Consumption of non-nutritious and fatty foods might lead to an elevated level of
serum cholesterol that is a risk factor for the coronary heart diseases. Dietary changes affect
several risk factors throughout the life and can have a greater impact in the older people.
More vitamin and protein rich diets and relatively reduction in the saturated fats and salt
intake can reduce the blood pressure and the concentration of the cholesterol.
Dietary guidelines for the older people by the UK food standard care agency
All the residential care centers and the nursing homes should meet the nutritional guidelines
for the food prepared for the older people. Monitoring of the regular nutritional standards of
the meals has to be carried out regularly and those residential care, not abiding by the
guidelines should be advised and helped to meet the standards otherwise their registration
would be forfeited.
 The average day’s food for the elderly people living in the residential care unit should
meet the COMA report’s estimated Average Requirement for energy.
 Considering the common occurrence of the under nutrition in the older people living
in the residential care units, the providers should increase the energy , calcium, iron

FUNCTIONAL FOODS
and the zinc contents of the meals to about 40 % of the reference values and the
Vitamin C content and the folate should be increased to 50%. The estimated average
requirements of calories for the women are 1,810kcal (7.61MJ*) a day and for men
aged 75 and above are 2,100kcal (8.77MJ*) a day. For the older adults who are less
active. Their dietary requirements for the calories might be less, but their
requirements for the other nutrients should be changed (Bamford et al. 2012).
 Fat gives the most concentrated forms of calories and the saturated fats are mainly
derived from the animal sources and are mostly found in cheese, butter and meat. The
unsaturated fats are mainly obtained from the animal sources. WOMEN aged 75 and
over needs, 70g of fats a day and MEN aged 75 and over requires 82g fats a day
(Bamford et al. 2012).
 50 % of the energy is got from the carbohydrates and includes both sugars and the
starches. As per the dietary guidelines, 39% of the carbohydrates should be obtained
from the starches and the milk sugars and only 11 % has to be obtained from the non
– milk extrinsic sugars. WOMEN aged 75 and over needs 188g calories from the
starch and the milk sugars, a day and MEN aged 75 and over needs 218g calories in a
day (Bamford et al. 2012).
 Most of the food prepared for the elderly people should not be given with NME (Non
milk extrinsic) sugars as that can depress their appetite in food (Health in Wales.
2016).
 The dietary reference value for non- starch polysaccharides should be 18 g a day.
Adequate intake of the fluids a day helps to enhance the action of the fibers and helps
to alleviate constipation (Health in Wales. 2016).
 The Reference Nutrient Intake of proteins for the WOMEN is 46.5g a day and for the
MEN is 53.3g a day. This balance is required for setting a balance providing sufficient