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Strategic Snacking After Sixty Five
Snacks May Help Meet Caloric Needs
in People Aged 65 and Older
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News
Snacking may help people aged 65 and
older get enough calories, a new study shows.
The
researchers included Claire Zizza, PhD, RD,
assistant professor in Auburn University's nutrition
and food sciences department.
They
note that while snacks may blow the calorie budget
of younger adults, older adults tend to get fewer
calories and may need snacks to make up their
calorie deficit.
Zizza's team analyzed interviews from a 1999-2002
national health study that included about 2,000 U.S.
adults aged 65 and older.
In
the interviews, participants reported everything
they had eaten during the previous 24 hours.
Most
participants -- 84% -- were snackers. They typically
snacked 2.5 times per day, taking in 150 calories
per snacking session.
Snackers averaged 1,718 daily calories, compared
with 1,466 daily calories for people who didn't
snack.
The
study doesn't show exactly what the snackers ate,
though snacks provided about a quarter of their
daily carbohydrates and calories, 20% of their daily
fat, and 14% of their daily protein.
Snacking apparently didn’t ruin the participants'
appetites. Snackers didn't cut back on calories at
meal times, the study shows.
"Our
results suggest snacking may ensure older adults
consume diets adequate in energy," Zizza's team
writes.
Of
course, nutritional quality counts. The researchers
recommend promoting the consumption of healthful
snacks for older adults.
The
study appears in the Journal of the American
Dietetic Association.
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