Personalising nutrition for older adults: The InCluSilver project

Abstract

Ageing is associated with a decline in health and an increase in age-related disease. However, the rate of biological ageing is not consistent between individuals and is not completely determined by genes. The rate of ageing and health decline is influenced by the environment and can be manipulated experimentally (e.g. by regulating metabolism). This highlights the potential for appropriate nutrition in order to maintain metabolic health as we age. Such interventions could consequently increase health-span and quality of life of an ageing population. However, public health advice about nutrition, such as consumption of two portions of fish each week (one of which should be oily) and eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, is focused on the population as a whole. It may not address an older individual's specific nutrient requirements to maintain health during ageing. The InCluSilver project, supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 programme, seeks to address this challenge through personalised nutrition for older adults. Personalised dietary recommendations should be fine-tuned to an individual's age, health, phenotype/genotype, activity, preferences and/or motivations, and framed by evidence from clinical trials. However, currently the dietary evidence base in older adults is small. Long-term studies that investigate dietary modifications in older individuals who are malnourished or over-nourished are needed to inform potential strategies. A wider food perspective will be necessary for successful implementation of personalised nutrition to support healthy ageing. This may include technologies that enable users to monitor their nutritional and health status for the purpose of motivating dietary adherence.

Effectiveness of personalized meal recommendation in improving dietary behaviors of Chinese community-dwelling elders: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

“…China is stepping into a super-aging society with an elderly population over 60 years old expected to take the proportion of 28% by the year 2040 1 . Keeping a healthy dietary behavior is a crucial step to promote healthy aging, as it plays a significant role in regulating metabolism, reducing age-related comorbidities and functional impairments, and facilitating adequate nutritional intake 2,3 . However, with a higher chance of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs), functional disability, and limited activities of daily living (ADL) capacity, the elderly are less likely to keep healthy eating behaviors.…”

“…Existing community-based or home-based nutrition support services provide uniformed meal services or nutrition education to help elderly population get access to nutritious food or increase produce intake 12,13 , yet are unable to meet the personal needs of elderly individuals, resulting in inadequate penetration and effectiveness 2,13 . Actually, the eating behaviors of older adults are influenced by various factors, such as social and cultural contexts, pathophysiological conditions, physiological changes 2,3,14 . This indicates that dietary interventions targeting the elderly population should take a comprehensive consideration of specific nutritional requirements associated with MCCs, personal dietary preferences, medication usage, and their degrading functions of chewing and tasting.…”

“…living outside nursing homes or hospitals) 11 , and dietary intervention targeting the elderly population are encouraged to be placed in community settings to enhance public health impact and resource accessibility. Existing community-based or home-based nutrition support services provide uniformed meal services or nutrition education to help elderly population get access to nutritious food or increase produce intake 12,13 , yet are unable to meet the personal needs of elderly individuals, resulting in inadequate penetration and effectiveness 2,13 . Actually, the eating behaviors of older adults are influenced by various factors, such as social and cultural contexts, pathophysiological conditions, physiological changes 2,3,14 .…”

“…However, current food recommendation systems have yet well addressed the complex needs of elderly individuals in terms of nutrition, preferences, and ease of use 6,23,24 . These elements, however, are the key to community-based daily nutrition support targeted at the elderly population 2,6 .…”

The fourth industrial revolution in the food industry—part II: Emerging food trends

“…Many also adjust food intake for medical reasons based on advice from doctors and nutritionists. Therefore, the smaller amounts eaten in combination with avoidance of certain foods can be a problem for older adults' abilities to consume sufficient nutrients each day (Burton et al, 2018;Rusu et al, 2020). The risk of malnutrition among older adults is high, and one major challenge for this group is consumption of sufficient highquality proteins (Landi et al, 2016).…”