Nutrition - principles of healthy nutrition and physical activity throughout the lifespan

Changing requirements

Nutritional requirements change across the lifespan - infancy and childhood prioritise growth-supporting energy/protein/micronutrient density, adulthood emphasises balanced macronutrient intake and chronic disease prevention, and older age requires specific attention to protein adequacy (sarcopenia prevention) and micronutrient sufficiency despite often-reduced overall intake
Foundational to nutritional counselling across every life stage and clinical context, underlying dietary advice given in essentially all areas of medical practice

Energy and nutrient requirements relative to body size are proportionally higher in infancy/childhood (supporting rapid growth) and decline with age, while protein requirements relative to total energy intake increase in older age to counteract age-related anabolic resistance and sarcopenia risk - this shifting requirement profile explains why generic "healthy eating" advice needs life-stage-specific tailoring rather than a single uniform recommendation

Growth charts and developmental milestones guide adequacy assessment in children; in older adults, unintentional weight loss, reduced muscle strength/function, and specific micronutrient deficiency screening (B12, vitamin D, iron) are more relevant markers than growth-focused measures

Life-stage-specific dietary counselling (higher protein emphasis in older age, growth-appropriate energy/micronutrient density in children) rather than applying identical general population dietary guidelines uniformly across all ages
Screening for and addressing specific age-related nutritional risk (iron in menstruating women/pregnancy, B12 in older adults and after bariatric surgery, calcium/vitamin D across the lifespan with particular emphasis in older age) as part of routine care

Sarcopenia and increased protein requirement in older age, paediatric growth and micronutrient density needs, pregnancy-specific nutritional requirements, malnutrition screening in older/hospitalised populations

Protein requirements relative to total intake actually increase, not decrease, in older age despite often-declining overall appetite and intake - this reflects age-related anabolic resistance (reduced muscle protein synthesis response to a given protein intake), making protein-specific dietary counselling particularly important in this population rather than a lower general priority than in younger adults

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