WACO, Texas (Cox News Service)-In the war against aging, millions of older adults are looking to pharmacy and grocery store shelves to build up their defenses.

Nutritional shakes, energy bars and dietary supplements that claim to be "specially designed" for senior adults promise to keep them active and healthy in their later years. But before seniors head to the stores to stock up on expensive pills and foods, they should chew on this: health experts say most seniors can get the same nutrition if they eat a well-balanced diet.

"I don't think a single supplement is necessary for the average geriatric patient," said Dr. Tim Martindale, a family practitioner at Providence Clinic in Lorena. "If we could get elderly people to eat right, that's really all they'd need. Even if they took no nutritional supplements, they'd be OK."

Many malnourished The problem, he said, is that millions of senior adults don't eat right, making dietary supplements beneficial or even necessary for some. The Nutritional Screening Initiative, a national survey of 750 geriatrics specialists in 1993, found that about 25 percent of American seniors, half of all hospital patients and 40 percent of nursing home residents are malnourished, he said.

Other studies have shown that about 13 percent of older adults eat minimum amounts of fruits and vegetables, one in five skips meals regularly and one in four drinks too much alcohol. Other reasons for irregular eating patterns, he said, include rotten teeth or dentures, living on fixed incomes and eating alone.

"Seniors have special needs with nutrition because of their unique ways of eating," Martindale said. "If all seniors (ate balanced meals) it would be wonderful, but the fact is elderly eat less and eat poorly."

Enter nutritional shakes such as Ensure, bars such as Boost, and vitamins like Centrum Silver. Ensure shakes, which pack vitamins and minerals as well as 250 calories, 6 grams of fat, 9 grams of protein and 18 grams of sugar, were originally created to meet the special dietary needs of patients in hospitals and nursing homes. Doctors say they are great for seniors who need to gain weight or have trouble chewing or swallowing.

But liquid meal replacements and meal supplement bars are also marketed to everyone, from busy folks on the go to grandparents who need extra energy to keep up with the grandkids. In TV and print ads for these products, they are being eaten by attractive silver-haired adults who are biking and jogging - exactly the people who need them the least, experts say.

"Some people in the marketing industry are doing a good job of convincing older people that they need expensive nutritional supplements, some of which haven't been shown to be helpful or safe and some of which most older people may not even need," the National Institute on Aging warns on its Web site. "Some of these claims give older adults the impression that certain supplements can restore youthful energy and strength."

Vitamins that claim to be specially made for "mature adults" or "adults over 50" probably aren't much different from all-purpose multivitamins, Martindale said. Some claim to have less iron in them because men over 50 need less iron or things like lutein for strong eyes or gelatin for strong joints. While it's true that post-menopausal women need more calcium, he said, there's not much need for seniors to take anything but an all-purpose vitamin. One doctor said he is particularly concerned about supplements popping up in mainstream drug stores that contain herbal compounds not tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. An herb called saw palmetto, for example, is touted as a treatment for enlarged prostate symptoms.

"There is not enough scientific evidence to recommend things like saw palmetto for now," said Dr. Claus Roehrborn, chairman of the urology department at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "The implication that all (herbs) are harmless is not necessarily so. Several compounds sold with the notion that they were safe and not harmful have been found to be frauds."

He encourages men to start getting checked for prostate problems around age 40 and to eat a healthy diet including vitamins and minerals.

Check with doctor Martindale said it's best for senior adults to consult their doctors about what they should and should not be taking to supplement their diets.

And the National Institutes of Health says before seniors spend $10 a week on liquid meal replacements or $50 a month on special vitamins, they should examine their eating habits. A balanced diet, the institute says, is the best way for most older adults to get the nutrients they need.

"The point we are making here is that anyone can make scientific-sounding claims," the institute says on its Web site. "But it doesn't necessarily mean that those claims are true or safe."

Copyright 2002 Cox News Service. All rights reserved.