Research
Macro partitioning
Dietary intake tends to decline with age, leading to potential nutrient deficiencies, but nutrient density may remain adequate or even improve in some groups.
Be aware that your energy needs decrease with age, but your nutrient needs may stay the same or increase. Focus on nutrient-dense foods to maintain health.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
energy intakes between ages 25 and 70 years can decline by as much as 1000 to 1200 kcal/day for men and 600 to 800 kcal/day for women... Although the absolute intake of a nutrient may decrease with age, the absolute intake of energy decreases even more, such that the observed proportion of the nutrient in the diet is higher than that for younger groups.
Why this rating
Based on cross-sectional and cohort studies (NHANES, Baltimore Longitudinal Study).
Source
Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life in Older Adults: Summary
Adam Drewnowski et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2001
DOI 10.1093/gerona/56.suppl_2.89
narrative_reviewCited 397×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Regular physical activity, particularly strength training, improves physical functioning and quality of life in older adults by preserving muscle mass and strength, thereby supporting independent living.Moderate
- Quality of life in older adults is significantly influenced by psychosocial factors such as perceived control, enjoyment, and satisfaction with diet and exercise, rather than just biomedical endpoints.Moderate
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →