Your good health: A low-weight woman should see a dietitian



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Dear Dr. Roach, I am a woman in my 60s and I have always struggled to maintain my weight. I frequently undergo extensive exams because I had already had cancer, but no problem has been identified. Since I have a history of cancer, I pay close attention to what I eat – mainly whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and only small amounts of fish or chicken because I understand that too much protein of animal origin can cause cancer. as well as other health problems. By eating the kind of diet I do, it's no wonder I can not gain weight. So I'm writing to ask you if you can safely buy an over-the-counter product such as Boost or Ensure that does not contain sugar or sugar. other harmful ingredients that could harm my health, but that could help me take a few pounds. I'm tired of looking so skinny.

P.M.

All adults 60 years of age and over who are underweight are not in need of treatment. However, people who experience sudden weight loss or low muscle mbad should be evaluated. Malnutrition is an important predictor of disease and mortality, so it is important to badess and treat the risk of malnutrition.

I do not have enough information to tell you if you are malnourished or not. There is not one measure or one test to decide one way or another, but an expert, such as a dietician nutritionist, is the ideal person to perform a nutritional badessment.

Having lean air may be enough to worry you, but I would definitely recommend a professional evaluation.

If an badessment determines that you would benefit from additional nutrition, I would start with food, not with supplements. Although I understand your desire to eat healthily based on your history of cancer, you should be able to get adequate nutrition without eating a lot (or no) of calories from animal sources (it is particularly thought that processed meats increase the risk of cancer ).

One tip with which I was lucky is a tablespoon or two of your favorite type of walnut butter at bedtime. It's a good amount of calories in addition to what you already eat.

If adding food does not work, it has been proven that adding a nutritional supplement helps people gain weight and can reduce the rate of complications.

Most nutritional supplements are high in sugar, including added sugar which is probably harmful.

Protein-rich products tend to be relatively less sugar-rich, and these are the ones I would recommend. There are also supplements for diabetics, which contain much less added sugar.

Dear Dr. Roach, Every time I take 325 mg of aspirin to relieve pain, I sleep very well. I dream of things that happened 60 years ago, as if they had just happened. I see people I knew then and I'm with them as if it was yesterday.

CAROLINE FROM THE SOUTH.

Strange dreams can be a side effect of aspirin. It seems that yours were pleasant, but if they are not, avoid if possible to take aspirin in the afternoon if possible, because most of the aspirin (and the active component, the salicylate) will disappear after approximately six hours.

The effect on platelets, which allows aspirin to prevent heart attacks, is unique because aspirin irreversibly blocks a platelet enzyme. This is why aspirin can increase the risk of bleeding several days after it is taken.

Dr. Roach regretted that he could not reply to individual letters, but would incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers can e-mail their questions to [email protected]

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