The more medicines you take, the greater the chance for side effects such as increased or decreased appetite, change in taste, constipation, weakness, drowsiness, diarrhea, nausea, and others. Vitamins or eating when taken in large doses act like drugs and can cause harm. Alert your doctor to everything you take. Being overweight or underweight also increases your chance of poor health. Although most older people are able to eat, one of every five have trouble walking, shopping, buying and cooking food, especially as they get older.
Most older people lead full and productive lives.
But as age increases, risk of frailty and health problems increase. Checking your nutritional health regularly makes good sense. The Nutrition Screening Initiative is funded in part by a grant from Ross Laboratories, a division of Abbott Laboratories. Email This site to a friend. Free weekly senior health news, 'check yourself' assessment tools, 'ask the expert', links to patient organisations and more.