Camire speaks with BDN about nutrition for older bicyclists
Mary Ellen Camire, a University of Maine professor of food science and human nutrition and past president of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), spoke with the Bangor Daily News for the article, “How good nutrition helps bicyclists keep pedaling as they age.” Nutritional needs for bicyclists change as people age, especially after age 50, said Camire who recently spoke with Bicycling magazine about the topic. “Riding places a lot of demands on your body, and as you get older and your body starts breaking down here and there, it’s especially important to stay on top of the nutrition you need to support it and keep it strong and healthy,” Camire said. After cyclists turn 50, according to Camire, they need higher levels of certain nutrients to maintain optimal muscle function at the same time their bodies don’t absorb those nutrients as efficiently as they used to. Among those, she said, are omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish such as salmon or herring; antioxidants found in fresh fruit such as blueberries; protein from dairy, fish, meat, poultry or plant-based; vitamin D, available in dairy or supplements; and probiotics found in live active yeast culture yogurts. “It’s so important for people to stay active,” she said. “We lose muscle mass every year after we turn 40. That is why it is so critical to keep exercising and keep moving.”