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My 81-year-old dad has tremendous sugar cravings. I've got him on stevia for his coffee, he loves it because it's super sweet. But cookies, candy, etc., he will eat them at any time. The other day I made a big breakfast for him and my mom, and after they both ate their fill, he started eating cookies. I mean *right* after breakfast. I'm not sure if it could be a reaction to medications. He takes 25mg seroquel at night, and is also on aricept, buspar, atenolol, and simvastatin. I first noticed that he was craving too much sugar about 2 years ago; at that time he was on everything but the aricept and seroquel. It gives him pleasure, so I don't try to stop him, but I wonder if there's something else he could eat or drink that would help keep him from craving sugar so much. He's not in the least overweight -- probably more the opposite -- but I understand that excessive carbs don't help the brain. I wonder sometimes if he just does it out of boredom, but the fact that he went for cookies right after eating breakfast made me think twice about that. Any ideas?

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My husband is 78 and was diagnosed 5yrs ago. He was always big on sweets (we have known each other 18yrs, married 12) but it does seem like the cravings have gotten stronger in the last few yrs. He also takes Seroquel and Aricept. He is a bit overweight. Maybe 10lbs. But his numbers are all good. His primary has remarked that he wishes he was that physically healthy. ;-) The way I see it, most of his life sucks so if sugar makes him happy so be it. I like to cook so I make sure he eats the good stuff at least once a day, but if he can find room for cookies etc after dinner then I let him. Also, his main beverage is OJ so he gets Vit C with some of his sugar. This disease leaves so little room for "happy". And I really like the idea that maybe it takes him back to a happier time. God Bless you and keep you on this journey. And of course I cant end this without adding "let em eat cake"
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Most elderly people crave sweets. For one, as we age we lose our taste buds and by the time someone is elderly they have much fewer taste buds than they once had. Secondly, sometimes eating sweets can take the elderly person back in time when mom made cookies or trips to grandma's always meant candy.

Also, elderly bodies lose their fat (you said he was the opposite of overweight). Sweets are high in calories so they can increase an elderly person's weight.

There's really nothing wrong with elderly people eating sweets (unless they're diabetic). We've been trained all of our lives that sweets are bad for you and maybe for someone my age or your age it's true but not necessarily in the elderly. If your dad wants to eat cookies let him eat cookies.
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Yes, I am sure he is losing his taste! I have noticed that Alzheimer patients seem to lose their sense of taste, but for some reason they can still taste the sweetness. My brother in law lost all of his sense of taste. But he could still taste his coffee, and sweets and also pickles, (sour). Yes, I know that the sugar is terrible for the brain. But if they already have Alzheimer's, and that is one of their few pleasures, I am certainly not going to deny them from the sweets. I do try to get in all the nutrition first, but as you said: My husband can eat his full and still finish up with candy, cookies or ice cream right after a big meal! He refuses veggies, but loves salads and coleslaw, broccoli salad, etc. I put good stuff in his salads and hope he is getting his nutrition that way! Right, "Let em eat cake!" Why not at this point in his life. I want him to be happy and he normally is happy!
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Sounds like your dad needs more quality fat in his diet. When fats are removed, the natural tendency is to replace them with carbohydrates (sugars and starches). Good fats include butter, olive oil, coconut oil, and yes, fatty meats. Stay away from hydrogenated/trans fats. Check out the ketogenic diet on YouTube. Excellent presenters are Drs. Jeff Volek, Stephen Phinney, and Perlmutter.
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Consider also replacing regular flour with coconut flour, which is much more nutritious. There are free coconut flour recipes on the web.
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I have noticed the same with my father.. He has dementia and lives in assisted living.. He has always in the past before his dementia became a part of his life been very strict with his diet.. He ate healthy and didn't include many sweets in his diet, he was always afraid of gaining too much weight.. Now all has changed, he is actually craving sweets. He loves cookies , ice cream, puddings and cake.. He has a little refrigerator in his apartment and I keep a few snacks in there for him... He is not overweight and the way I look at it, his life is nothing like it was before and I'm sure not much fun for him. And if eating sweets makes him happy and it's something he can enjoy ,then I will continue to buy them.. He eats 3 healthy meals a day there at the facility and if his weight and blood sugars are good then I see no harm being done.
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My mom craved sugar until she got some Januvia in addition to her insulin (type II, severe insulin resistance). But she was often satisfied with sugar-free stuff, though she did not need the calories adn a lot of sugar free is not low calorie at all. Now between Seroquel, Aricept, and a statin, he's virtually guaranteed to have raging appetite problems and none of those make diabetes any better either...but that might not be enough reason to consider changing meds if he really needs them. The data on statins doing that is more recent. If weight gain does become a concern, try things like apple juice, cranberry juice, fiber drinks, and maybe even estrogenic foods like soy, apricots, alfalfa sprouts, and anything made with hops that is OK for him to have, which will take the edge off that a bit. And yes, protein and "good" fats can help too. Saturated fats though just make my appetite take off like a rocket, and I noticed that with my mom too.
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I am going through the sugar craving thing right now with Dad. He didn't start eating all the sugary stuff in sight until a month ago. He is in very poor health. I have been reading and finding some answers to some of the things that I am experiencing with him but as far as the sugar cravings go. I have researched and found sugar cravings are bad when you are a diabetic, when you are dehydrated because hunger is a mask for being thirsty ( Dad doesn't drink water like he should) and FTD dementia causes cravings also. I hope this passes soon though because after Mom passed away 3 months ago our budget is tight and it is costing a lot of extra money to keep up with the sugary snacks.
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All that medicine he is on mixed together with no research on what happens when a person takes all kinds of pills together will do more damage then sugar. And at 81 LET HIM EAT what ever he wants.....WE all LOVE dessert! No one is ever going to stop me from eating things that make me happy and bring me JOY! My Dad ate 4 gross processed packaged Danish every morning for the last 40 years, he was on no medication and he is 92! He eats his dessert at the NH first along with the other 5 old men at his table. They all do, their not stupid. The rules are when you reach 80 you get to do what ever you want. I'm wearing my pajamas to the grocery store when I'm that age......LOL
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My sister is in a rehab facility following several strokes. She has always liked her sweets but it seems to have really amped up lately and weight gain along with it. She drinks cokes and eats junk food all day. At first I tried to counteract this by taking healthy meals but I live farther away than other family members and everyone, even staff, have given up and just let her have her way. The last visit I took a wonderful holiday meal; called ahead with my arrival time and even kiddingly said, "No junk; wait for me!" but when I got there she was eating this nasty honey bun thing that she often eats and wouldn't stop even while I was heating up her plate (which she knew had a lot of her favorite foods.) So of course she ate very little of the good dinner. I don't know the answer but I finally realized that whatever it is, it's no longer within her control at all. Still it's sad and annoying. It's nothing I can control either so I suppose I am just venting.
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