Healthy Ageing

Also known asHealthy Aging · Ageing Well · Aging Well · Longevity · Older Adults · Senior Nutrition · 健康老龄化 · 长寿 · 老年营养

What it is

Healthy ageing means keeping the strength, mobility, thinking and independence to do what matters to you for as long as possible. Genes play a part, but most of the difference comes from everyday habits: how we eat, move, sleep, and stay connected.

How food and lifestyle can help

As we age, appetite and thirst weaken, taste dulls, teeth and swallowing can be a problem, and the body absorbs some nutrients less well. So what we eat needs to be nutrient-rich, not just plentiful.

Foods and nutrients to focus on

1. A Mediterranean-style pattern: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish and olive oil.
2. Enough protein at each meal to protect muscle (see Muscle Health).
3. calcium and vitamin D for bones; vitamin B12 too, because absorption falls with age and with some stomach-acid medicines (ask for a blood test; fortified foods or a supplement may be needed).
4. Fluids through the day, even without feeling thirsty.
5. Meals shared with others: eating with company improves appetite.

Foods and drinks to limit

1. Skipping meals, or living on tea and toast.
2. A lot of salt, processed food and alcohol.
3. Grapefruit with certain medicines, and unnecessary supplements.

Good to know

1. Ask your pharmacist about food and medicine interactions, for example warfarin and leafy greens, or some blood-pressure medicines and potassium.
2. Stay active, sleep well and keep up friendships: see Exercise, Sleep and Stress.
3. Sore teeth, dentures or swallowing difficulties often explain poor eating; ask for a dental or swallowing check.

When to see a doctor

1. Losing weight without trying, or poor appetite for more than a few weeks.
2. Falls, new confusion, or sudden changes in mood or memory.
3. Difficulty chewing or swallowing.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition or take medicines, check changes to your diet with your doctor or a registered dietitian.

WHO — Ageing and health, used for the main facts: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health