Melinda Wenner Moyer
It’s common for people to eat less as they age, says Roger A Fielding, a professor of nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in the US. In one analysis of nearly 60 studies, for instance, researchers found that those 60 or older consumed 16 to 20 per cent fewer calories than younger adults did.
The big question is why, says Barbara Rolls, a professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State. Various factors, including a person’s age, can shape their appetite and how sated they feel after eating, so it’s challenging to know what might be affecting them.
Here are a few potential culprits to consider, according to experts, and what you can do about them.
Hunger signals quiet down
Hormonal shifts that occur with ageing can influence how much you want to eat, says Dr Margaret Manus, an internist at Houston Methodist Hospital.
Some limited research has shown, for instance, that older adults produce less ghrelin – a hormone that makes you feel hungry – than younger people do. If that happens, or if you continue producing the same amount of ghrelin but your body isn’t responding to it as strongly as it once did, you may experience less of a desire to eat, Manus says.
Other research has shown that people produce more of two other hormones – leptin and cholecystokinin, which cause people to feel full – as they age. As a result, Manus says, they eat less.
There’s also limited evidence suggesting that the stomach empties more slowly as people get older, Rolls says. This shift could delay how soon a person feels hungry again after their last snack or meal.
And people tend to lose muscle with age, Fielding says. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so people with less muscle will need to eat less food, he says.
Food becomes less enticing
Our senses of smell and taste can diminish with time, Rolls says. In a 2022 study that involved 60 participants, researchers found that among those older than 50, a little more than half had issues with taste sensitivity and 70 per cent couldn’t smell very well.
If food doesn’t taste or smell good, you tend to want less of it, Rolls says. In a study involving 359 older adults in the Netherlands, researchers found that those who said they couldn’t taste very well had less of an appetite than those who reported that they could taste just fine.
Older adults also often eat alone, which may result in them eating less. A number of studies have shown that people eat more when they dine with others, especially with friends and loved ones, Rolls says. This tendency may be rooted in the fact that people spend more time eating when they’re around others – and the longer they sit, the more they eat.
How to regain your appetite
If your appetite has waned and you want it back, Manus recommends regular exercise. When you burn calories, your body wants to replenish them with food.
Weight training can be especially helpful, Manus says, because it builds muscle, which will increase your appetite even more. Manus recommends exercises that involve high repetitions with light weights (those between one and five kilograms, for example) or resistance bands.
If you’re eating less and are worried about developing a nutritional deficiency, Fielding recommends following a balanced diet that prioritises nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and lean sources of protein. Those who aren’t hungry for three square meals a day may have better luck eating four or five smaller ones throughout the day, Manus says. Handy online calculators can help estimate your caloric needs.
Consider dining with friends and loved ones, too, Rolls says. And try experimenting with herbs and spices to counteract any losses in smell and taste. Squeeze lemon juice on your chicken or add hot sauce to your eggs.
“Perk things up a bit,” Rolls says.
The New York Times
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