A whole-diet approach for the elderly
Human ageing is a complex dynamic process that involves the continuous adaptation of the body to life-long exposure to internal and external damaging factors. This often leads to the development of a chronic inflammatory status, termed inflamm-ageing. It is evident, that European public health policies should focus on healthy ageing, which includes the prevention of diseases and the delay of health deterioration. Given the environmental, stochastic and genetic-epigenetic variables that affect health, lifestyle and diet are the most easily modifiable. To improve health and quality of life in the EU ageing population, the EU-funded NU-AGE (New dietary strategies addressing the specific needs of elderly population for a healthy ageing in Europe) project aimed to counteract inflamm-ageing through a dietary intervention approach. Researchers wished to investigate how nutrition affects inflammatory parameters, and especially how the whole Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) could reduce age-related decline. To this end, they performed a nutritional trial with over 1 140 volunteers across Europe, who underwent an in depth physical, cognitive and biochemical characterisation. Additional immunology, genetics, epigenetics, transcriptomics, metagenomics and metabolomics analyses were performed in 120 individuals to test the efficacy of the NU-AGE diet. Results showed that volunteers who followed the MedDiet had decreased plasma levels of the key inflammatory marker C-reactive protein, and an improved lipid profile. Furthermore, their gut microbiota diversity was well preserved. The collaboration of the consortium with food companies led to the design of eight new advanced traditional foods made for consumers of over 65-years of age. Collectively, the NU-AGE study underscores the importance of balanced nutrition for a healthy ageing process. The long-term generated information will help understand the integrated biological changes that cells undergo in response to a whole-diet approach. Implementation of this intervention is expected to have broad socioeconomic implications for the European elderly citizens.
Keywords
Ageing, inflamm-ageing, Mediterranean diet, C-reactive protein, lipid, gut microbiota
