Resumen

BARRERA SOTOLONGO, Julián  y  OSORIO LEON, Sarah. Aging and nutrition. Rev Cubana Invest Bioméd [online]. 2007, vol.26, n.1. ISSN 0864-0300.

A review of the study of nutrition in the elderly was made. The rapid increase of the individuals over 60 in the last decades has given more importance to this topic at present. In any stage of the human growth and development, life has been conditioned by nutrition and health. An inadequate nutrition accelerates aging in the same way the diseases do. The role played by nutrition in the aging process, as well as the effect of age on the individuals’ nutrition, are discussed. The population over 60 is at a high risk for developing nutritional diseases due to the fact that the aging process is accompanied with a variety of physiological, biochemical, biological and psychological changes that alter not only the physical activity of fhe individual, but also his habits, food conducts and social relations.

Palabras clave : Aging; nutrition; health; physiological, biochemical, biological and psychological changes; food conducts.