Variety is the spice of health - Your Life - elderly nutrition - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Nov, 2002

That old adage "Variety is the spice of life" is also the recipe for a healthful lifestyle, especially among the elderly, according to researchers at the School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Medford, Mass. They evaluated frail nursing home residents to see if consuming a varied diet would improve their nutritional health.

As part of the study, the researchers looked at weight, height, body mass index, skinfold thickness, and muscle mass, as well the participants' medical history. Results showed that elderly nursing home residents who eat a wide variety of foods experience an improved "nutritional status," and that preventive measures to provide variety--such as increasing available choices and assistance with meals--could be implemented before nutritional complications arise.