Nutrition, aging, and the aged.

Nutrition plays a significant modulating role in the aging process and is an important component in the health care of the elderly. While considerable study of the nutritional needs of the elderly has been accomplished in recent years, we are as yet very limited in our knowledge and understanding of the nutrient requirements of the elderly, the methodology for assessing nutritional status, and the impact of disease on the nutritional status of the elderly. Clearly, the dynamic interrelationships of nutrition, aging, and the aged emerge as pressing and important aspects of modern medicine. To probe into the intricacies of these relationships is a monumental challenge. This challenge will certainly accelerate in the future.