A conference report on nutrition interventions for healthy aging across the lifespan
Exercise, diets, and lifestyle changes (e.g. fasting, exercising) are all possible interventions that can slow down ageing.
The world population has seen a significant increase in life expectancy in the last century thanks to modern medicine. Despite this, there are disparities that can lead to groups having a shorter lifespan as well as a significantly reduced health, particularly among the elderly. These concerns are a result of unequal access to nutrition, healthcare, and the information needed to make informed decisions about nutrition and health. In turn, this has accelerated the ageing process for some people and negatively affected their ability to age in a healthy way. Both in developed and developing societies, many are plagued by the dichotomy that occurs when calorie intake is excessive while nutrient intake is inadequate. The result has been mental and physical degeneration, an increase in non-communicable diseases, a loss of productivity and quality, and higher medical costs. It is clear that adequate nutrition is essential to good health. However, it’s not known what effect dietary interventions have on healthspan or quality of life as people age. A rapidly aging global population calls for new approaches to health promotion. Research, education and interventions that are successful should include both quantitative and qualitative biomarkers, as well as other tools to measure improvements in physiological health throughout life. Health policy changes should be driven by data to reduce the social-economic disparities that cause premature ageing. The World Health Organization has published a framework for progress in its Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health. The symposium was centered on the role of nutrition in this framework. It stressed the importance of better understanding an individual’s intrinsic and functional capacities at different life stages and their impact on mental and physical health.
Source:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-019-02027-z
