The Washington times., 1936-01-16
eurs Are Available at Last in Washington Shops
Health
Diet for Older
Persons
By LOGAN CLENDENING, NJ. D,

BY LOOAN CLENOENANO, M. u,
Elderly members of a house.
hold require proper food nearly as
much as infants and children,
and Just as much as the middle.
aged members of the household,
But frequently they do not obtain
this.
There is no effort on the part
of the family to supervise their
dietary habits. They are sup
posed to be old enough to know
what they want to eat, and their
individual crotchets and tastes
may lead them far aStray.
One of the common faults in
the dietary of elderly people is
that they eat too many starches,
which supply more calories than
their physical activity warrants.
Another fault is that they select
foods which lack in iron and Wit
amin B and may lack other vita.
minis. AS result, the bone mar.
row receives an inadequate sup
ply of materials necessary to
build blood cells.
Just as the more rapid growth
in children makes certain type
Of diet necessary for them, so the
rapid destruction of tissue and
degeneration of tissues in the
elderly makes a properly selected
diet necessary for them.
No nof;ni4a nicaaSo
These old people need not show
any definite disease picture. such
as Scurvy, pellagra or anemla,
but they are on the border line
of some such conditions. In an
elderly man who has some hard
ening of the arteries, with some
natural deterioration in the force
of the heart, it is more necessary
than ever that the quality of his
blood should be such that it bring
nutriment to the tissues without
imposing additional effort on his
heart.
Long ago I was impressed with
the finding that elderly people
with anemia especially perniCiouS
anemia, had for many years
eaten practically no meat, eggs
or milk at all.
These conditions are particu.
larly likely to occur in elderly
people who live by themselves
and cook their own meals. They
live mostly on processed foods
and starchy foods, such as crack.
ers, and out of canned goods, and
all too frequently take a nip at
the bottle or a nip at tonic in
lieu of something substantial
Fresh foods particularly-not a
great quantity Of foods, but fresh
foods-are necessary to main.
tain health in people past the
meridian of life.
QUESTION FROM READERS
M. S. B.: "(D Could a pound.
ing Of the heart from walking
fast, going upstairs or uphill be
caused by anemia? ~ My heart
has been examined and found 100
per cent. Yet I have this pound
ing and a choking sensation when
doing the things I have described.
What could be done for that"
Answer: % Anemia requires
the heart to push the impover>
ished blood around at a more rap
i'd rate and. therefore, will cause
pounding. (2) Sometimes unim.
portant irregularities of the
heart. due to coffee. tea or tobac-
co, will cause the sensations
which you describe. They are not
dangerous and need not be a
source of concern.
EDITORS NOTE: Six pam,
phlets by DR.. Clendening can now
be obtained by sending 10 cents in
coin. for each, and self-ad.
dressed envelope stamped with
Scent stamp, to DR.. Logan Glen
dening, in care of this paper, The
pamphlets are: Indigestion and
Constipation" Producing and
Gaining" Infant Feeding" IN
structions for the Treatment of
Diabetes" Feminine Hygiene
and The Care of the Hair and
Skin"