Sieber C C
Klinikum Nürnberg, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.
Ther Umsch. 2007 Mar;64(3):141-6. doi: 10.1024/0040-5930.64.3.141.
A balanced nutrition is the best prerequisite for health and prevention of disease in age and against "nutritional frailty". Many elderly people, however, are unable to comply with an adequate nutrition, in particular isolated people and people in elderly homes with or without dementia. Under those conditions "functional foods" may be an important alternative, but evidence based studies, that would show a benefit, are scarce so far. In the future probiotics may show benefits in cancer prevention; since most malignant tumors are associated with age, the elderly may then profit for the most.
