[Nutrition as prevention of illness in the elderly].

Nutrition-related diseases are the primary health problem, not only of the aged, but also of the whole population in industrialized countries. While the health risks of overnutrition are well considered in prevention and medical care, the consequences of malnutrition are often disregarded. Nutritional counseling, early diagnosis, and therapy of nutritional risk factors are able to improve quality of life and prognosis of the aged and should be performed more intensively in medical care.