helpful to/ for sb

[joham]

The following two sentences with 'helpful to/for' come from CAE. I'd like to know what the difference is between 'helpful to sb' and 'helpful for sb'.

Could I ask native English teachers to help me please? Thank you in advance.


Rep. LINDER Okay. Now the Olympic Committee is meeting next week. Do you think that they're going to approve that you stay on as vice president? ALASKA CALLER I certainly hope so. And I think I can be helpful to them. I think I already have been, in some ways. And I'm very happy as a vice president there and I hope I can continue.

Keeping weight down can be especially helpful for those who feel at risk because of a family history of arthritis and those who are in the early stages of arthritis.

[Anglika]

In the first one, "Alaska Caller" is saying that he/she can offer assistance to the Olympic Committee.

In the second one, the sentence is saying that for those suffering from this condition, keeping weight at a reasonable level is beneficial.