Calorie requirements will decrease in old age. what is the reason?

Foods that contain calories are important for human life as energy producers, from children to the elderly. However, these calorie needs will continue to change with age. If you pay attention, the need for calories in old age will continue to decrease; to be less than the adult's calorie needs. Why is that? Check out the following reviews.

Calorie requirements will decrease with age

Food provides the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and water needed by the body. The amount of calorie needs depends on gender, body weight, height, and activity carried out, as well as age. For the elderly, some nutritional needs from food may increase in number, but their calorie needs do not increase.

According to the Nutrition Adequacy Rate by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, an average 30-year-old man needs 2,625 calories, which turns into 1,525 calories when he reaches 80 years of age and over. Meanwhile, women who are 30 years old require an average of 2,150 calories and change to 1,425 calories when they reach 80 years of age.

Increasing age and decreasing activity lead to reduced calorie needs

When on the move, the body metabolizes. Metabolism is the body's ability to break down nutrients and convert them into energy or store them as fat for reserve energy. If the number of calories is not balanced with the activity that is done, body weight can increase.

At a young age, someone who is overweight will certainly be advised to go on a diet. They will reduce or avoid calorie foods so that the fat stored in the body is used as an energy producer. In simple terms, this also applies to people who are getting older. Reducing the need for calories as you get older is done to maintain weight. This is done because they are no longer active like adults of productive age, so they burn less calories.

Metabolism is related to muscle mass because muscle cells are busy moving the body in various activities. When you are teenagers or around your twenties, your metabolism is relatively higher because you do more activity. However, around the age of 30 years, activities are not carried out as much as when they were teenagers so that muscle mass will decrease and will become fatter. Moreover, the elderly, they tire very easily and usually choose problems in the bones that hinder their activity, for example osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Reducing the need for calories is carried out as an effort to live a healthy life, which is to prevent excess body weight which can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease.

Guide to calorie needs according to age and activity

Reporting from Very Well Fit, the National Institute on Aging offers general guidelines for calorie needs for men and women over the age of 50 according to their activities. Here's the guide:

Calorie requirements for women over 50 years

Physically inactive, requires 1,600 calories per day
Slightly active, requires 1,800 calories per day
Active, requires 2,000 to 2,200 calories per day

Calorie requirements for men over 50 years

Physically inactive, requires 2,000 calories per day
Slightly active, requires 2,200 to 2,400 calories per day
Active, requires 2,400 to 2,800 calories per day

To get the right guidance according to your age and condition, you should first consult your doctor or nutritionist.

Apart from calories, other nutritional needs must also be maintained. Diet and healthy food choices both from the content as well as the way of processing must also be considered. Moreover, most people who get older lose their appetite or lose their teeth, so choosing a diet that suits their conditions can help meet the nutrition needed.