The role of nutrition in maintaining and improving the health of the elderly (literature review)

The problem of preserving the health of elderly and senile people is becoming particularly important with the growing proportion of the world's population over the age of 60.  The article summarizes the available literature data on the peculiarities of nutrition, nutritional support, and the peculiarities of building the diet of people in old age and senility, taking into account the changes occurring in their body due to age characteristics. Attention is drawn to the fact that poor nutrition is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, anemia, cerebrovascular disorders, acute cerebral circulatory disorders, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, malignant neoplasms, etc. The article analyzes the role of nutrition of the elderly as a factor that can increase the body's resistance to negative environmental factors, prevent the development of non-communicable diseases and slow down the aging process. The optimization of the diet of elderly people should be considered as one of the directions for correcting violations of their nutritional status, prevention and rehabilitation of non-communicable diseases, and, consequently, the prevention of early aging. In addition, the nutrition factor in old age is a factor of geroprotection, prevents or slows down the aging process, the development of complications, violation of the main categories of vital activity, thus being a means of preventing premature aging