Nutritional habits in the elderly

Introduction: Aging is accompanied by several physiological and psychological changes in the organism of an individual (e.g., decreased sense of taste and smell, disruption of satiety, depression), which affect the nutritional intake. Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study is to highlight the nutritional habits of elderly people. Materials and methods: Extensive review of the recent literature in electronic databases (Pub med, Google scholar) and journals. Exclusion criterion for the articles was the language than the Greek and English. Results: The increase life expectancy is important to be accompanied by physical and mental health, quality of life and, where possible, from participation in social, economic, cultural and spiritual life. Adopting healthy dietary patterns, combined with daily physical activity, and factors such as avoiding smoking, could help considerably in reaching these goals. The physical and psychological changes occurring during aging may adversely affect nutritional status. Instead, a proper diet can positively influence the physical and emotional state of elderly people. Conclusions: Diet and generally nutrition habits of the elderly play an important role in their health.