Protein Intake in the Elderly

Question
Hello Laura,

My Mother is 92. She doesn't have the appetite to eat well often but my family has thankfully gotten her to drink "Insure". Although she uses a "walker",(or says she does),she falls ever so often and I talked her into taking Whey Powder with milk or orange juice to give her amino acids to strengthen and repair her muscles, ligaments. and tendons, hopefully assisting her to gain some control of her pelvic/skeletal muscles and possibly avoiding her from having more falls or worse, a broken hip.
She tells me she's taking the Whey Powder everyday but my brother says she tells him that the Whey,(drink),makes her bloated sometimes and she can't always drink it.
Is there some type of pro-biotic or digestive enzyme that she could take to relieve the bloating so that she can continue to take the Whey drink? If not, is there another type of liquid protein that would not make her bloat? She hardly eats much solid protein. I've guesstimated her protein intake from solid food is about 15-20 grams per day without the Whey.

Thank you very much.

Mike E.

Answer
Typically, a person should have about 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight. Roughly, that is about half a person's body weight in protein. In the elderly, when body systems aren't optimal, too much protein can cause bloating because of the ammonia created from improper digestion. Also, protein digestion occurs when there is an acidic stomach environment. That might not be beneficial for her either. I would discuss her nutritional needs with her doctor simply because the nutritional needs of the elderly differs greatly from someone that is middle aged. In addition, each elderly person's needs differ greatly from another elderly person. Ligaments loosen over time. The best course of action for her is exercise. Gentle exercise planned according to her individual needs would benefit her greatly if it comes from a professional who is an expert in geriatric exercise.

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