Promoting healthy aging through nutrition: a research centers collaborative network workshop report

Authors: SHEA, KYLA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University; STRATH, LARISSA - University Of Florida; KIM, MINJEE - Northwestern University; DOAN, LAN - New York University; BOOTH, SARAH - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University; BRINKLEY, TINA - Wake Forest School Of Medicine; KRITCHEVSKY, STEPHEN - Wake Forest University

Submitted to: Advances in Nutrition
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/23/2024
Publication Date: 4/15/2024
Citation: Shea, K., Strath, L., Kim, M., Doan, L., Booth, S.L., Brinkley, T., Kritchevsky, S. 2024. Promoting healthy aging through nutrition: a research centers collaborative network workshop report. Advances in Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100199.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100199

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Within twenty years, the number of adults in the United States over age 65 is expected to more than double and the number over age 85 is expected to more than triple. The risk for most chronic diseases and disabilities increases with age, so this demographic shift carries significant 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 since the aging process is highly variable. Most federal nutrition programs and nutrition research studies define all adults over age 65 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 (RCCN) sponsored a 1.5-day multi-disciplinary 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.