Perspective: Promoting Healthy Aging through Nutrition: A Research Centers Collaborative Network Workshop Report

Abstract

Perspective: Promoting Healthy Aging through Nutrition: A Research Centers Collaborative Network Workshop Report☆ M Kyla Shea 1,* , Larissa Strath 2,3 , Minjee Kim 4,5,6 , Lan N Ðo an 7 , Sarah L Booth 1 , Tina E Brinkley 8 , Stephen B Kritchevsky 8 1 Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States; 2 College of Medicine, Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States; 3 Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States; 4 Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States; 5 Institute of Public Health Medicine, Center for Applied Health Research on Aging, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States; 6 Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States; 7 Department for Population Health, Section for Health Equity, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; 8 Department of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer’s Prevention, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States ABSTRACT Within 20 y, the number of adults in the United States over the age of 65 y is expected to more than double and the number over age 85 y is expected to more than triple. The risk for most chronic diseases and disabilities increases with age, so this demographic shift carries sig nificant implications for the individual, health care providers, and population health. Strategies that delay or prevent the onset of age related diseases are becoming increasingly important. Although considerable progress has been made in understanding the contribution of nutrition to healthy aging, it has become increasingly apparent that much remains to be learned, especially because the aging process is highly variable. Most federal nutrition programs and nutrition research studies define all adults over age 65 y as “older” and do not account for physiological and metabolic changes that occur throughout older adulthood that influence nutritional needs. Moreover, the older adult population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, so cultural preferences and other social determinants of health need to be considered. The Research Centers Collaborative Network sponsored a 1.5-d multidisciplinary workshop that included sessions on dietary patterns in health and disease, timing and targeting interventions, and health disparities and the social context of diet and food choice. The agenda and presentations can be found at https://www.rccn-aging.org/nutrition-2023-rccn-workshop. Here we summarize the workshop’s themes and discussions and highlight research gaps that if filled will considerably advance our understanding of the role of nutrition in healthy aging. Keywords: older adults, diet, dietary intakes, dietary patterns, microbiome, health disparities