Nutritional Considerations for Healthy Aging and Reduction in Age-Related Chronic Disease.

A projected doubling in the global population of people aged ≥60 y by the year 2050 has major health and economic implications, especially in developing regions. Burdens of unhealthy aging associated with chronic noncommunicable and other age-related diseases may be largely preventable with lifestyle modification, including diet. However, as adults age they become at risk of "nutritional frailty," which can compromise their ability to meet nutritional requirements at a time when specific nutrient needs may be high. This review highlights the role of nutrition science in promoting healthy aging and in improving the prognosis in cases of age-related diseases. It serves to identify key knowledge gaps and implementation challenges to support adequate nutrition for healthy aging, including applicability of metrics used in body-composition and diet adequacy for older adults and mechanisms to reduce nutritional frailty and to promote diet resilience. This review also discusses management recommendations for several leading chronic conditions common in aging populations, including cognitive decline and dementia, sarcopenia, and compromised immunity to infectious disease. The role of health systems in incorporating nutrition care routinely for those aged ≥60 y and living independently and current actions to address nutritional status before hospitalization and the development of disease are discussed.
Competing Interests: 2Author disclosures: J Shlisky, DE Bloom, AR Beaudreault, HH Keller, Y Freund-Levi, FW Cheng, GL Jensen, and D Wu, no conflicts of interest. KL Tucker is the editor of Advances in Nutrition. RA Fielding receives grant support from the USDA, the NIH, Astellas Pharma, Nestlé, and Axcella Health; receives honoraria/consultation fees from Astellas, Nestlé, Axcella Health, and Biophytis; and has equity in Axcella Health and Inside Tracker. SN Meydani serves on the scientific advisory board of Nestlé Health Institute and on the Dannon-Yakult Scientific Advisory Board.
(© 2017 American Society for Nutrition.)