Every day more than 5,500 Americans turn 65 and officially become senior citizens.
Many seniors are, of course, healthy, relatively independent, and well nourished.
Some older adults, however, are beset with accumulating medical, performance, and social problems that can make adequate nourishment difficult. People in their 60s and older do about as well as younger people in terms of fulfilling recognized guidelines concerning intake of fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Nevertheless, some senior citizens do develop significant nutritional problems. Many things contribute to the risk of malnutrition in older adults. For example, chronic diseases may lead to physical limitations, as from arthritis, or to cognitive limitations, as from Alzheimer's disease.