A Healthy Diet Is Tailored to Age

The key to eating healthily lies not in pursuing the latest dieting fad.

Instead, experts say, we should simply eat according to our age and gender.

They believe the key to good health and therefore a healthy weight lies in tailoring our food to our particular circumstances.

"There isn't a one-size-fits-all diet," said food scientist Dr. Sian Astley.

"But we believe a sensible approach is to eat according to your age and sex." For instance, young women, or those hoping to become pregnant, should ensure they eat foods rich in folic acid.

A form of Vitamin B found in green, leafy vegetables, citrus fruit, wholemeal breads and cereals, folic acid can help prevent brain and spine defects such as spina bifida in unborn children.

They may also want to boost their intake of iron, because anemia is most common in women of childbearing age.

However, as they get older, their bodies' needs change, and their diet should change with it.

For instance, stressed-out mothers trying to juggle family and home life might want to stock up on foods that will keep their energy levels up.

Bread, pasta, rice, couscous and potatoes all provide a slow, steady release of energy.

As old age beckons, it may be a good idea to turn to calcium-rich foods to try to cut the risk of osteoporosis or keep the brain sharp with vitamin B.

Dr. Astley, of the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, said, "The way we process vitamin B, for example, changes dramatically as we reach old age.

"Our body can still process it, but really struggles to extract it from the food we eat.

"There might be an argument for a fortified food or there may be a reason for taking a supplement." Men may be able to reduce their risk of prostate cancer by eating pizzas, pastas and other foods containing cooked tomatoes.

These foods may also benefit women at risk of a rare form of hereditary breast cancer.

Studies suggest that such simple changes to diet could have massive implications on health. "As we get older, our bodies are less effective at avoiding disease; our immune systems are less able to detect and mount a defense," said Dr. Astley.

"This results in an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cataract and arthritis.

"Poor diet can accelerate this process whilst 80 percent of case-controlled studies support the hypothesis that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of age-related illness." She cautioned-however, that there is no guarantee that even the healthiest of diets will be able to ward off illness.

Within the next 20 years, we may even be able to buy foods formulated to suit our age, the British Association Festival of Science in Norwich heard recently.

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