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DORTMUND, Mainz / Germany - During the next decades the percentage of older people will rise drastically in almost all EU-countries and will make the elderly a significant target group of commerce. The range of products that promise a health benefit or a benefit which particular fits older people's nutrition requirements will increase rapidly any time soon. How such products should be designed and how their claims can be substantiated, new developments in the field of the Health Claims-Regulation and consequences that come along with them were topics at the fifth International Fresenius Conference "Health and Nutrition Claims" held 18 to 19 June 2013 in Mainz/Germany.
In 2060, nearly 30% of the European population will be presumably older than 65 years - 12 % will even be older than 80. For that reason Monika Neuh?user-Berthold (Justus Liebig Universit?t Giessen, Germany) gave an insight at the conference into the concrete nutrition risks that come along with old age: Thus especially overweight prevalences of 70% to 80 % had been observed in the age group 60 to 80 years posing an increased risk of many chronic diseases, the expert began. Therefore, the challenge was to maintain a healthy body-mass-index in older age,Neuh?user-Berthold emphasised.
In general, the nutrient supply of old people in Germany could be characterised as "good", but one problem remained a fact: Many older people would consume too much fat, sugar, salt and phosphate whilst on the other side the intake of complex carbohydrates, and vegetables and fruits, for example, was considerably too low. The long-time deficiency of certain nutrients would lead to a specific risk for metabolic and functional impairments and corresponding diseases, the expert made clear. Generally, more than half of all old people over 65 years would suffer from more than two chronic conditions, amongst others cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, mental or cognitive problems or cancer which would have a direct impact on a person's nutrition requirements. A special diet matched to the individual including the ban or the reduction of some food would not be uncommon amongst older people, Neuh?user-Berthold explained. On top of that, an impaired fluid balance and the consequences of malnutrition would especially affect very old people.
On one hand, special food for older adults should, hence, consider the reduced energy demand of the target group but should also take the still great need for micronutrients of the elderly into account. Thus, the products had to feature a high density of nutrients in relation to their energy content. On the other hand, it would be important to ensure a high product quality and to consider the circumstances of older people's food intake. For example, portion sizes should be matched to the target group's needs as well as the food consistency and the handling and preparation of the products. Existing diseases and associated nutrition requirements had to be reflected likewise in the product range and could thereby support a balanced diet, the expert underlined.