Actuality: Rehabilitation of geriatric patients of surgical profile is a multi-component set of measures, in which nutritional support is of particular importance, which is currently the most problematic link in terms of organization in a standard surgical hospital and nomenclature of therapeutic diets, in particular, functional nutrition. Classic diets are not adapted for an age-related patient with malnutrition. Defect dietary component in the rehabilitation of geriatric patients in the surgery leads to a decrease in adaptive opportunities of an aging body contributes to the development of complications in early and late postoperative period, contributes to the emergence or worsening the severity of various geriatric syndromes and syndrome of senile asthenia. The geriatric approach to managing patients of older age groups at all stages of surgical care can minimize the risks of various postoperative complications. However, in Russia, despite the increasing volume of surgical care for the elderly and senile, there is no algorithm for geriatric management of surgical patients. Purpose: To study the role of functional nutrition in preventing the development of operational stress. Material and methods: we studied the literature data on search words-nutrition, nutritional support, opiatorial stress, old age, geriatric syndrome for 2007-2019 in computer databases, PubMed, Medical-Science, Elibrary, Ceeol, JSTOR, Web of Science, Scopus. Results: Analysis of studied literature showed that under conditions consistent trend of aging of the population, a disproportionately rapid increase in operating activity in relation to persons of elderly and senile age, to the fore the issues of development of algorithms of rehabilitation in the early postoperative period, allowing to minimize the number of complications and lethal outcomes, and also improve the patient's quality of life. Despite this, the researchers note that the existing nomenclature diets at least lend themselves to research, analysis and adjustment on the territory of each specific treatment and prevention institution. Analysis of nutrition, spontaneously and chaotically organized by patients themselves and relatives of patients, is almost impossible. In the issue of organizing nutritional support for a geriatric patient in the postoperative period, in addition to the actual dietary component, the complexity is a regime issue that requires serious administrative support, organization of educational work with patients, their relatives, and medical personnel. Conclusions: the aging body has its own physiological characteristics that require a special geriatric approach in daily habits and rituals, as well as when joining pathological conditions and the need for treatment. The leading geriatric syndromes that determine the course of the postoperative period and the number of complications are malnutrition, malabsorption, and senile asthenia syndrome. Prevention and correction of nutrient deficiency in the pre-and postoperative period plays a crucial role in reducing the number of postoperative complications and the number of deaths, and preventing the development of operational stress. Nutrition of elderly and senile patients in surgical hospitals does not meet the requirements for rational nutrition, both in terms of quantitative and qualitative composition, and in terms of diet.