Nutritional Requirements of Mature Women Examined

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Ronni Chernoff, director of the Arkansas Geriatric Education Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock, Ark., USA), examines the nutritional requirements of older women in, “Supplement: Women and Micronutrients: Addressing The Gap Throughout The Life Cycle.” According to the abstract, the nutritional requirements of older women is an area of great interest because the extended life expectancy leads to an increase in women living into their 80s, 90s, and longer.

The current recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) and dietary reference intakes (DRIs) are not specific for women living to advanced ages, and little research reportedly has been conducted specifically on the micronutrient needs of elderly women. Among the micronutrients that may be associated with deficiencies in elderly women are: vitamin B-12, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc, and other trace minerals. In old and very old women, these are micronutrients of interest but there is a great need for research to determine appropriate recommendations.

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