What are the nutritional supplements for the elderly?

One category is basic nutrients that make up for the gap in daily diet, the other category is functional supplements for specific physical problems, and the rest are mostly IQ taxes that are so impressive.

A while ago, I accompanied the 68-year-old Aunt Zhang from the community to the nutrition department of the hospital for a dietary assessment. She had several missing teeth, rarely ate dark green vegetables, and ate less eggs and milk. A blood test revealed that she was deficient in B vitamins and had low bone density. The doctor asked her to take a basic B complex supplement with vitamins. D's calcium supplements are all regular blue hat products that cost tens of yuan. After taking them for three months, her previous problems of peeling at the corners of her mouth and throbbing in her legs at night have been relieved a lot. There is no need to buy the imported "senior compound nutritional tablets" that cost hundreds of yuan. The ingredients are not much different, and the premium is all in marketing.

When it comes to the most discussed functional nutritional supplements, the most controversial one is protein powder. Some people say that drinking it every day can improve immunity and reduce illness, while others say that drinking too much can damage the kidneys. In fact, both sides are true, and it depends on individual circumstances. If the elderly have just undergone surgery, have serious muscle mass loss, or do not like to eat a bite of meat, and their daily protein intake is far from the standard of 1g per kilogram of body weight, it is really useful to drink some whey protein powder appropriately. ； But if you are like the 72-year-old Uncle Li next door, who can eat a piece of braised beef and a boiled egg every meal, your daily protein intake is already enough. He followed the trend and bought a can of protein powder worth more than 300 yuan and drank it for half a month. The uric acid in the physical test soared to the critical value. After a month of suspension, the test returned to the normal range. Pure and simple spent money and suffered.

The rest of the fish oil and lutein that everyone often buys are not standard ingredients that everyone needs. Fish oil is suitable for the elderly who rarely eat deep-sea fish and have slightly high blood lipids. If they can eat saury and salmon two or three times a week, the Omega-3 supplements will be enough for the body. ； The same goes for lutein. Old people who like to watch short videos or watch TV for a long time can take appropriate supplements. If they usually eat yellow-orange and dark green vegetables such as pumpkin, corn, and spinach, they can be supplemented by food without spending extra money.

As for the special nutritional supplements that can often be heard in community lectures that "can lower blood sugar," "prevent Alzheimer's disease," and "open blood vessels," I can clearly say that no nutritional supplement can replace medicines in treating diseases. There was a case registered in the community before. An elderly person spent more than 8,000 yuan to buy nutritional powder that is said to be able to eradicate diabetes. After taking it for half a month, he frequently suffered from hypoglycemia and was sent to the emergency room. It was found that a large dose of hypoglycemic drugs was illegally added, which is much higher risk than regular prescription drugs. If you really need to supplement, it is better to go to the nutrition department of the hospital for a half-hour dietary assessment first. It is most cost-effective to supplement what is missing. After all, nutritional supplements are never better if you eat more. Only the ones that suit you are useful.