Nutrition for healthy ageing

Abstract

Summary The aim of this report is to bring together, in a user‐friendly format, the progress and results of recent European Union funded projects that have investigated food and nutrients that may help to contribute towards a healthy old age. Nutrition interacts with the ageing process in a number of ways and the risk of nutrition‐related health problems increases in later life. This report provides an overview of some of the reasons why nutrition is important in old age. As an introduction, some background information on the ageing process is provided.

Nutritional Management of the Older Horse

“…The spectrum and rate of onset of age-related impairments in function are largely dictated by the cumulative effects of genetic and epigenetic endowments, environmental, health, work, and lifestyle-related factors acquired across the lifetime of the animal. 5 Aging in otherwise healthy horses, as in other mammals, will inexorably lead to the eventual presentation of senescent changes. These changes include sarcopenia, the loss of body mass (BM), and the onset of organ dysfunction with progressive attrition of the dental, neural, immunologic, and other systems.…”

“…These changes include sarcopenia, the loss of body mass (BM), and the onset of organ dysfunction with progressive attrition of the dental, neural, immunologic, and other systems. 5 For the horse, the age-related onset of progressive pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) might be considered an individually variable accelerant of the aging process, which further compromises body function. 6 …”

“…7 In man, changes in body composition with aging favor fat accumulation in adipose tissues and muscle at the expense of lean muscle mass. 5 Lehnhard and coworkers 8 compared the body composition of aged (>20 years) and young (4-8 years) Standardbred mares to suggest similar trends in horses. Data in this study used the formula presented by Kane and colleagues 9 to estimate body fat and, by extrapolation, fat-free mass, based on measures of rump fat depth.…”

Half-baked? B vitamins and depression

“…Vitamin B-12 deficiency is reported to increase the risk of severe depression in older women (14), but in one study, B vitamin supplementation had no effect on depression in women (15). Evidence suggests, however, that the older population in particular may benefit from B vitamin supplementation (16) because of the prevalence of disorders that reduce folate and vitamin B-12 and B-6 absorption.…”

Dietary availability in elderly Portuguese households

“…Due to its potential to modulate the transition from vulnerability to frailty and dependence, nutrition is an important determinant of the quality of ageing (6,7) . Examination and monitoring of the dietary characteristics of the elderly is important in identifying subgroups at risk of malnutrition or disease (8)(9)(10) .…”