Snacking good for some seniors

Advancing age does have perks: wisdom, recreational vehicles and, now, sanctioned snacking.

Claire Zizza, a researcher at Auburn University’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science, compared the diets of more than 2,000 seniors 65 and older. She found that the 84 percent who snacked consumed significantly more daily calories than those who didn’t.

While snacking is the bane of most dieters, it could be good for older people, a population vulnerable to under eating, Zizza says. When the body runs out of fuel, it begins to break down muscle, bones and organs.

“As people age, their calorie intake tends to decrease for any number of reasons – changes in taste sensations, medical conditions or depression,” she says.

“When you start to lose weight as an older individual, that’s a sign of failing health.”