Nutrition Across The Lifespan For Healthy Aging

In September 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop to examine trends and patterns in aging and factors related to healthy aging in the United States, with a focus on nutrition, and how nutrition can sustain and promote healthy aging, not just in late adulthood, but beginning in pregnancy and early childhood and extending throughout the lifespan. Participants discussed the role of nutrition in the aging process at various stages in life, changes in organ systems over the lifespan and changes that occur with age related to cognitive, brain, and mental health, and explored opportunities to move forward in promoting healthy aging in the United States. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

In September 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop to examine trends and patterns in aging and factors related to healthy aging in the United States, with a focus on nutrition, and how nutrition can sustain and promote healthy aging, not just in late adulthood, but beginning in pregnancy and early childhood and extending throughout the lifespan. Participants discussed the role of nutrition in the aging process at various stages in life, changes in organ systems over the lifespan and changes that occur with age related to cognitive, brain, and mental health, and explored opportunities to move forward in promoting healthy aging in the United States. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

This edited volume is a compilation of 30 articles discussing what constitutes food for health and longevity. The aim is to provide up-to-date information, insights, and future tendencies in the ongoing scientific research about nutritional components, food habits and dietary patterns in different cultures. The health-sustaining and health-promoting effects of food are certainly founded in its overall composition of macronutrients and micronutrients. However, the consumption of these nutrients is normally in the form of raw or prepared food from the animal and plant sources. The book is divided into four parts and a conclusion, and successfully convenes the well-established information and knowledge, along with the personal views of a diversified group of researchers and academicians on the multifaceted aspects of nutrition, food and diet. The first part reviews the scientific information about proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils, micronutrients, pro- and pre-biotics, and hormetins, along with a discussion of the evolutionary principles and constraints about what is optimal food, if any. The second part discusses various kinds of foods and food supplements with respect to their claimed benefits for general health and prevention of some diseases. The third part brings in the cultural aspects, such as what are the principles of healthy eating according to the traditional Chinese and Indian systems, what is the importance of mealing times and daily rhythms, and how different cultures have developed different folk wisdoms for eating for health, longevity and immortality. In the part four, various approaches which are either already in practice or are still in the testing and research phases are discussed and evaluated critically, for example intermittent fasting and calorie restriction, food-based short peptides, senolytics, Ayurvedic compounds, optimal food for old people, and food for the prevention of obesity and other metabolic disorders. The overreaching aim of this book is to inform, inspire and encourage students, researchers, educators and medical health professionals thinking about food and food habits in a holistic context of our habits, cultures and patterns. Food cannot be reduced to a pill of nutritional components. Eating food is a complex human behavior culturally evolved over thousands of years. Perhaps the old adage “we are what we eat” needs to be modified to “we eat what we are”.

Does a longer life mean a healthier life? The number of adults over 65 in the United States is growing, but many may not be aware that they are at greater risk from foodborne diseases and their nutritional needs change as they age. The IOM's Food Forum held a workshop October 29-30, 2009, to discuss food safety and nutrition concerns for older adults.

This book covers nutritional needs over the entire life span, from prenatal to elder years. It focuses on nutrition during pregnancy, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Each life span section features a specialized topic for focus, such as weight control for early adulthood, disease prevention for middle adulthood, and managing the aging process for older adulthood.

Population is ageing at an unprecedented speed globally. As concept, ageing is considered a continuous process starting from birth and is accompanied by various physiological changes and a number of chronic diseases that affect health and quality of life. Ageing as a continuous process is depending on life course exposures to health risks, lifestyle and nutrition, socioeconomic background, and other factors. There is considerable interest among scientists regarding the direct and indirect effect of nutrition in optimal ageing. Nutrition has a beneficial effect in a variety of chronic disease that impact the process of ageing. Given the importance of this issue, the journal Nutrients is planning a Special Issue on “Ageing and Nutrition through Lifespan” with the aim of providing a source for accurate, up-to-date scientific information on this topic. We invite you and your co-workers to consider submission of your original research findings or a review article on the topic. Manuscripts should focus on the direct impact of specific food components, dietary patterns, energy intake, macro-, micro- nutrients, alcohol intake, food insecurity as well as malnourishment and appetite to the ageing process (healthy, active, successful ageing, frailty and other similar indices) across lifespan. In a similar way, we also welcome manuscripts that focus on the indirect effect of nutrition to the ageing process throughout the pathway of chronic disease (i.e., obesity, diabetes, depression and mental diseases).

NUTRITION ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN is designed to provide comprehensive nutrition information on each specific stage of the life span in a clear and concise manner. It is written specifically for required life span courses in undergraduate nutrition and dietetics programs, and is directed to students, teachers, and healthcare professionals who require more in-depth knowledge of nutritional needs as they study or work with individuals at various stages in the human life span. Chapters have been reorganized to create a more natural flow through the life span, from conception and infancy, into adulthood and advanced age. Content is extensively updated to cover the latest developments in the field of nutrition, including new cultural content, social and behavioral aspects of nutrition, new information on genetics and nutrition, Dietary Reference Intakes, Healthy People 2010 information, and more. (Includes FREE online biannual nutrition newsletter)

The U.S. population of older adults is predicted to grow rapidly as "baby boomers" (those born between 1946 and 1964) begin to reach 65 years of age. Simultaneously, advancements in medical care and improved awareness of healthy lifestyles have led to longer life expectancies. The Census Bureau projects that the population of Americans 65 years of age and older will rise from approximately 40 million in 2010 to 55 million in 2020, a 36 percent increase. Furthermore, older adults are choosing to live independently in the community setting rather than residing in an institutional environment. Furthermore, the types of services needed by this population are shifting due to changes in their health issues. Older adults have historically been viewed as underweight and frail; however, over the past decade there has been an increase in the number of obese older persons. Obesity in older adults is not only associated with medical comorbidities such as diabetes; it is also a major risk factor for functional decline and homebound status. The baby boomers have a greater prevalence of obesity than any of their historic counterparts, and projections forecast an aging population with even greater chronic disease burden and disability. In light of the increasing numbers of older adults choosing to live independently rather than in nursing homes, and the important role nutrition can play in healthy aging, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened a public workshop to illuminate issues related to community-based delivery of nutrition services for older adults and to identify nutrition interventions and model programs. Nutrition and Healthy Aging in the Community summarizes the presentations and discussions prepared from the workshop transcript and slides. This report examines nutrition-related issues of concern experienced by older adults in the community including nutrition screening, food insecurity, sarcopenic obesity, dietary patterns for older adults, and economic issues. This report explores transitional care as individuals move from acute, subacute, or chronic care settings to the community, and provides models of transitional care in the community. This report also provides examples of successful intervention models in the community setting, and covers the discussion of research gaps in knowledge about nutrition interventions and services for older adults in the community.