The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

How to eat better to age healthily

2022-05-30T04:43:45.529Z


Adjustments to our diet could be one of the most effective ways to prevent disease in an aging European population


In 2021, more than a fifth of the population of the European Union was 65 years of age or older.

Current demographic trends indicate that by 2050 there will be 130 million Europeans in this age group.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2040 its members will exceed 1,300 million worldwide.

The extension of life expectancy brings its problems, such as the increase in physical and mental deficiencies.

Age-related illnesses, such as cancer and disabilities that affect the body and mind, are no exception.

In general, the rapid aging of the population places costly demands on already struggling health systems.

More information

Discover the new section EL PAÍS Health and Wellbeing

"Changes in diet and lifestyle are by far the most effective way to promote healthy aging of the population," says Hermann Stuppner, head of department in the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Innsbruck, in Austria.

Stuppner launched the MediHealth project, inspired by the Mediterranean diet, among other eating habits from around the world, to discover which plants help us age better.

The Mediterranean area, especially Crete, has long been associated with low rates of coronary heart disease and breast and colon cancer.

Some scientists attribute this to the high consumption of olive oil, which is the main source of fat in the diet.

The project selected original plants from Greece, Vietnam, South Africa, Tunisia and Chile.

In the end, the small wild plant

Cichorium spinosum

, known as prickly chicory, was chosen for use as an ingredient in a new competitive

nutraceutical

product .

A nutraceutical is a food product with beneficial medical or health effects, including the prevention and treatment of disease.

“Dietary and lifestyle changes are by far the most effective way to promote healthy aging of the population.”

Hermann Stuppner, doctor coordinator of the MediHealth project

Stuppner celebrates "that the beneficial effects of healthy eating are widely accepted and recognized throughout the world."

However, he points out, most food plants have not been researched, and their virtues are still unknown.

The MediHealth project operated under a single structure that brought together more than 13 different groups of experts from both academia and industry.

Metabolites that replicated the processing of plant extracts by the human digestive system were created and analyzed.

The scientists wanted to know if these metabolites could stop age-related decline.

This would provide a solid scientific basis for the development of new products to combat the effects of aging.

According to Stuppner, this exchange strategy between multidisciplinary teams "helps to increase scientific interest in investigating natural products".

Despite intense collaboration, some questions remained unanswered.

That's why the MediHealth partners continued to work together after the project ended in 2019.

Old but independent

Older people may need, on average, more protein than younger people.

Inadequate protein intake by older adults is of concern.

The InDEPENDEnt study looked at the effects of protein diets on loss of ability in an aging European and US population.

"How you want to age is something that depends on the person," says Nuno Mendoça, from the New University of Lisbon (Portugal), who participated in the research.

"However, in general, older adults are more concerned about being able to remain independent and continue their daily activities than about prolonging life expectancy without quality life."

The onset of disability can be gradual or occur suddenly, after an event that causes significant stress, explains the expert.

The so-called "good nutrition", which provides a person with all the necessary nutrients according to their sex, age and state of health, goes hand in hand with physical activity when it comes to resisting age-related diseases.

Together they tend to prevent muscle deterioration that can lead to disability.

"Adequate protein intake appears effective in preventing natural disability."

Nuno Mendoça, researcher at the New University of Lisbon

The project analyzed data from four large studies conducted in Europe and North America.

The InDEPENDEnt findings add to the evidence that adequate and sustained protein intake over time can slow the aging process.

The result was expected.

"Good nutrition plays a very important role in prevention," says Mendoça.

"Adequate protein intake appears effective in preventing natural disability."

Much remains to be understood, such as protein needs under specific conditions in older adults.

Questions are being raised about what differences, if any, exist between protein sources and the role of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.

Likewise, the increase in protein dietary guidelines in healthy older adults continues to generate some controversy, despite broad agreement in the scientific community.

These studies, along with others, may inform the development of new dietary protein guidelines for older adults and public health interventions.

To continue their research, the team is preparing a new project called IPHUNCTION, whose objective is to study the interaction between proteins and physical activity.

Age is inevitable, but food and nutrition can be the key to ensuring a healthy and positive aging process.

The research described in this article was financed with EU funds.

Article originally published in

Horizon

, the Research and Innovation magazine of the European Union.

Translation of NewsClips.

You can follow

MATERIA

on

Facebook

,

Twitter

and

Instagram

, or sign up here to receive

our weekly newsletter

.

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-05-30

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.