A study geared to assess the value of increasing protein intake in those aged over 55, by increasing egg consumption, is set to begin next month, backed by the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC).
The project, led by Bournemouth University’s Dr Katherine Appleton, from the Department of Psychology, will build on work, started in January 2015, to establish attitudes to egg consumption in older adults across the UK.
“Previous research has shown that many older people would benefit from increasing protein intake and eggs are an ideal food to achieve this,” said Dr Appleton, pointing out that approximately 20% of older people in the UK are currently thought to suffer from inadequate protein-specific nutrition.
The idea now is to encourage people in the selected age range to try a wider choice of recipes, largely by adding flavour to food using herbs and spices and increasing the variety of dishes on offer.
“The project has clear potential to improve the health and quality of life of the older population and impact on the social environment and economy,” said Dr Appleton.
