elderly people walking and talking

Key Topic

As we age, our nutritional needs evolve, impacting everything from muscle mass to bone health and energy levels. In this episode, we dive into the key nutrition considerations for older adults. While we touch on a range of age-related changes, please note that specific topics like menopause won’t be explored in depth here, as they deserve their own dedicated discussion.

Anabolic Resistance

  • As we age, our muscles become less responsive to the usual signals that trigger growth, like protein intake and resistance training. 
  • This is known as anabolic resistance.
  • We can point to several mechanisms that cause this response overtime, although a large one is likely the reduction in certain hormones as we age eg. testosterone & oestrogen.
  • In practice, this means older adults may need more protein in a single meal to get the same impact on MPS.
  • For example, 20g for a younger person might have an equivalent effect of  30–40g of protein for an older person due to anabolic resistance.
  • This concept is well-accepted in the evidence based space, but it’s also important to note that the overall daily protein requirement to maximise muscle growth (>1.6g per kg of body weight) is the same for both older and younger adults.
elderly person lifting weights
  • Rather than getting too caught up in the idea of anabolic resistance, the focus should be on:
  • Eating enough total protein each day.
  • Spreading it out across meals if possible.
  • Staying active, especially with resistance training.
  • Getting enough calories overall.

Calcium

  • Throughout most of life the calcium recommended daily intake in Australia is 1,000mg per day
  • For women over the age of 50 and men over the age of 70 it increases to 1,300mg
  • The earlier increase in women is due to menopause. The drop in oestrogen decreases bone mineral density over time in a lot of cases. So this would not be relevant as early if somebody was on HRT.
  • An increased calcium intake is relevant and worth looking into. 
  • Calcium is still only one piece of the puzzle though. I’d still be looking at exercise that provides stimulus on the bones + things like vitamin D, vitamin K2, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and protein intake.

Iron

  • Iron requirements shift at different life stages, especially as we age.
  • For adult men and postmenopausal people, the recommended daily intake (RDI) for iron is 8mg per day, which is generally easy to meet with a balanced diet.
  • For premenopausal people, the RDI increases to 18mg per day due to iron losses through menstruation. People with heavy periods may have even higher needs.
  • During pregnancy, iron requirements rise sharply to 27mg per day, and supplementation is typically needed to meet this demand.
  • As we age, iron needs can decrease, but issues like poor absorption, low intake, chronic illness, or medications can still lead to deficiency—even in those not menstruating.
  • Plant-based diets can increase iron needs due to lower absorption of non-heme iron, 1.8x RDI.

B12

  • The RDI for B12 remains unchanged throughout life at 2.4ug
  • While the technical needs don’t change, absorption tends to decrease over time.
  • >10% of people in aged care homes in Australia are deficient and >30% are close. So you could make an argument for paying more attention to it with age. 

Appetite

  • As we get older, appetite often decreases, which can make it harder to meet nutritional needs,
  • While energy needs may decline slightly due to reduced physical activity or changes in body composition, it’s still crucial to meet those needs to support strength, immunity, and quality of life.
  • The concept of a “healthy weight” also shifts with age. Although BMI is not a perfect measure, the optimal range tends to move from 18.5–25 in younger adults to around 22–27 (or even up to 30) in older adults.
  • This shift is linked to better outcomes, like a lower risk of falls and fractures, largely due to better muscle and bone retention at slightly higher body weights.
  • That said, much of this benefit can also come from staying physically active and maintaining muscle mass, rather than from weight alone.
elderly person eating a meal

Summary

Aging brings unique nutrition challenges, like anabolic resistance, increased calcium needs, shifting iron and B12 absorption, and reduced appetite. Prioritising protein, staying active, and adjusting key nutrients can help support strength, bone health, and overall wellbeing as we age.

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