Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
Nutritional Sciences Department, School of Biosciences and Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK.
Nutr Bull. 2023 Mar;48(1):124-133. doi: 10.1111/nbu.12599. Epub 2023 Jan 31.
By 2050, it is predicted that one in four people in the United Kingdom will be aged 65 years and over. Increases in lifespan are not always translated into years spent in good health. Incidence rates for chronic diseases are increasing, with treatments allowing people to live longer with their disease. There is good evidence to support changes to lifestyle to maintain or improve body composition, cognitive health, musculoskeletal health, immune function and vascular health in older adults. Much research has been done in this area, which has produced significant support for foods and nutrients that contribute to improved healthspan. Yet two major barriers remain: firstly, older adult consumers are not meeting current UK recommendations for macro- and micronutrients that could benefit health and quality of life and secondly, the UK-specific recommendations may not be sufficient to support the ageing population, particularly for nutrients with key physiological roles. More work is needed to improve intakes of specific foods, diets and nutrients by older adults, through a variety of mechanisms including (i) development of specific food products; (ii) improved clarity of information and (iii) appropriate marketing, and policy changes to enable incentives. The Food4Years Ageing Network aims to build a wide-reaching and multidisciplinary community that is committed to the development, integration and communication of healthy, affordable foods and specific diets for all older adults across the UK food landscape. The Network will identify evidence-based strategies for improving food intake and nutrition in older adults, paving the way to "living well while living longer."
到 2050 年，预计英国每四个人中就有一人年龄在 65 岁及以上。寿命的延长并不总是意味着健康寿命的延长。慢性病的发病率正在上升，治疗方法使人们能够在患病的情况下活得更长。有充分的证据支持改变生活方式来维持或改善老年人的身体成分、认知健康、肌肉骨骼健康、免疫功能和血管健康。在这一领域已经进行了大量的研究，为有助于延长健康寿命的食物和营养素提供了强有力的支持。然而，仍然存在两个主要障碍：首先，老年消费者没有达到目前英国对可能有益于健康和生活质量的宏量营养素和微量营养素的建议；其次，英国特有的建议可能不足以支持不断老龄化的人口，特别是对于具有关键生理作用的营养素。需要通过各种机制来增加老年人对特定食物、饮食和营养素的摄入量，这些机制包括：（i）开发特定的食品；（ii）提高信息的清晰度；（iii）适当的营销和政策变化以鼓励激励措施。Food4Years Ageing Network 旨在建立一个广泛而多学科的社区，致力于为英国食品领域的所有老年人开发、整合和传播健康、负担得起的食物和特定饮食。该网络将确定改善老年人食物摄入和营养的循证策略，为“长寿健康”铺平道路。
