A holistic approach to healthy ageing: how can people live longer, healthier lives?

Calder, P.C.; Carding, S.R.; Christopher, G.; Kuh, D.; Langley-Evans, S.C.; McNulty, H.

Abstract

Background: Although lifespan is increasing, there is no evidence to suggest that older people are experiencing better health in their later years than previous generations. Nutrition, at all stages of life, plays an important role in determining health and wellbeing.
Methods: A roundtable meeting of UK experts on nutrition and ageing considered key aspects of the diet–ageing relationship and developed a consensus position on the main priorities for research and public health actions that are required to help people live healthier lives as they age.
Results: The group consensus highlighted the requirement for a life course approach, recognising the multifactorial nature of the impact of ageing. Environmental and lifestyle influences at any life stage are modified by genetic factors and early development. The response to the environment at each stage of life can determine the impact of lifestyle later on. There are no key factors that act in isolation to determine patterns of ageing and it is a combination of environmental and social factors that drives healthy or unhealthy ageing. Too little is known about how contemporary dietary patterns and sedentary lifestyles will impact upon healthy ageing in future generations and this is a priority for future research.
Conclusions: There is good evidence to support change to lifestyle (i.e. diet, nutrition and physical) activity in relation to maintaining or improving body composition, cognitive health and emotional intelligence, immune function and vascular health. Lifestyle change at any stage of life may extend healthy lifespan, although the impact of early changes appears to be greatest.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 3, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jun 3, 2018
• Publication Date: Aug 31, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jul 23, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 3, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics
• Print ISSN: 0952-3871
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-277X
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 31
• Pages: 439-450
• Keywords: healthy ageing, nutrition, cognitive ageing, ageing, cognition, genetics, microbiome
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/861979
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12566
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Calder, P., Carding, S., Christopher, G., Kuh, D., Langley-Evans, S. and McNulty, H. (2018) A holistic approach to healthy ageing: how can people live longer, healthier lives? Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 31. pp. 439-450. , which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12566. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
• Contract Date: Jul 23, 2018