Iowa Department on Aging (IDA) Healthy Aging Update

Nutrition plays a significant role in the health of older adults

The increase in the size of the older population is paralleled by an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases

A healthful diet can reduce heart risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity

Healthier eating patterns would also include more vegetables, whole grains, oils and nonfat/low-fat milk products

Since diet is a modifiable lifestyle factor, dietary improvement can lead to reduced disease risk and improved health in older adults

On average diets of those over 75 years of age are better in quality compared to diets of their younger counterparts, ages 65-75