[Eating behavior in the elderly and its consequences for nutrition].

The nutritional situation of the elderly is characterised on the one hand by changes in nutrient requirements resulting from increased age and on the other hand by altered nutritional needs. Faulty eating habits, malnutrition as well as overeating are not uncommon. Experimental research in spontaneous feeding behavior lead to the conclusion that not only is the modifiability of food intake through environmental stimulation reduced in the elderly, but also the efficiency of internal cues through which the degree of satiety is experienced. Investigation of taste and smell in which a total reduction of sensory capacity was ascertained, point in the same direction: sensory deficits have a cumulative effect on the appetite of the elderly. An increased reliance on habit and rational as well as pseudo-rational eating rules was observed on the part of the elderly. Indications for praxis are derived from these observations which are discussed in the context of a theoretical concept.