Nutrition and Healthy Aging - Volume 4, issue 4

Authors: Nagpal, Ravinder | Mainali, Rabina | Ahmadi, Shokouh | Wang, Shaohua | Singh, Ria | Kavanagh, Kylie | Kitzman, Dalane W. | Kushugulova, Almagul | Marotta, Francesco | Yadav, Hariom

Article Type: Review Article

Abstract: The development of human gut microbiota begins as soon as the neonate leaves the protective environment of the uterus (or maybe in-utero ) and is exposed to innumerable microorganisms from the mother as well as the surrounding environment. Concurrently, the host responses to these microbes during early life manifest during the development of an otherwise hitherto immature immune system. The human gut microbiome, which comprises an extremely diverse and complex community of microorganisms inhabiting the intestinal tract, keeps on fluctuating during different stages of life. While these deviations are largely natural, inevitable and benign, recent studies show that unsolicited perturbations …in gut microbiota configuration could have strong impact on several features of host health and disease. Our microbiota undergoes the most prominent deviations during infancy and old age and, interestingly, our immune health is also in its weakest and most unstable state during these two critical stages of life, indicating that our microbiota and health develop and age hand-in-hand. However, the mechanisms underlying these interactions are only now beginning to be revealed. The present review summarizes the evidences related to the age-associated changes in intestinal microbiota and vice-versa, mechanisms involved in this bi-directional relationship, and the prospective for development of microbiota-based interventions such as probiotics for healthy aging. Show more

Keywords: Aging, enteric nervous system, gut dysbiosis, gut permeability, intestinal microbiota, metabolic inflammation, probiotics, prebiotics

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-170030

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 267-285, 2018

Authors: Wahl, Devin | Bernier, Michel | Simpson, Stephen J. | de Cabo, Rafael | Le Couteur, David G.

Article Type: Review Article

Abstract: Resveratrol improves healthspan and lifespan in many organisms. Several different targets and mechanisms of action have been proposed to explain the beneficial effects of resveratrol on healthspan and longevity, including the activation of a family of proteins known as sirtuins and its action as a calorie restriction mimetic. In this mini-review, we discuss some of the most recent findings to date in the resveratrol field and suggest three areas of future research based on those results.

Keywords: Aging, polyphenol, lifespan, healthspan, clinical trials, metabolic health

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-170035

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 287-290, 2018

Authors: Kruglikov, Ilja L. | Scherer, Philipp E.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: From a mechanical point of view, human skin appears as a layered composite containing the stiff thin cover layer presented by the stratum corneum, below which are the more compliant layers of viable epidermis and dermis and further below the much more compliant adjacent layer of subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT). Upon exposure to a strain, such a multi-layer system demonstrates structural instabilities in its stiffer layers, which in its simplest form is the wrinkling. These instabilities appear hierarchically when the mechanical strain in the skin exceeds some critical values. Their appearance is mainly dependent on the mismatch in mechanical …properties between adjacent skin layers or between the skin and sWAT, on the adhesive strength and thickness ratios between the layers, on their bending and tensile stiffness as well as on the value of the stress existing in single layers. Gradual reduction of elastic fibers in aging significantly reduces the skin’s ability to bend, prompting an up to 4-fold reduction of its stability against wrinkling, thereby explaining the role of these fibers in skin aging. While chronological and extrinsic aging differently modify these parameters, they lead to the same end result, reducing the critical strain required for the onset of instabilities. Comparing of mechanical properties of the skin presented as a bi-, tri- or tetra-layer structure demonstrates the particular importance of the papillary dermis in skin aging and provides the arguments to consider the undulations on the dermal-epidermal and dermal-sWAT interfaces as the result of mechanical bifurcation, leading to structural instabilities inside of the skin. According to this model, anti-aging strategies should focus not as much on the reinforcement of the dermis, but rather aim to treat the elastic mismatch between different adjacent layers in the skin and sWAT as well as the adhesion between these layers. Show more

Keywords: Skin aging, anti-aging, subcutaneous adipose tissue, structural instability, reinforcement, composite structure, mechanical modules, bending, adhesion

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-170037

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 291-307, 2018

Authors: Bell, Lynne | Lamport, Daniel J. | Field, David T. | Butler, Laurie T. | Williams, Claire M.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: There is growing interest in the use of nutrition interventions to improve cognitive function. To determine intervention efficacy, repeated cognitive testing is often required. However, performance on tasks can improve through practice, irrespective of any intervention. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated practice effects for commonly used cognitive tasks (immediate and delayed recall, serial subtractions, Stroop and the Sternberg task) to identify appropriate methodology for minimising their impact on nutrition intervention outcomes. METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy young adults completed six repetitions of the cognitive battery (two sessions on each of three separate visits). Subjective measures of mood, motivation …and task difficulty were also recorded at each repetition. RESULTS: Significant practice effects were apparent for all tasks investigated and were attenuated, but not fully eliminated, at later visits compared with the earlier visits. Motivation predicted cognitive performance for the tasks rated most difficult by participants (serial 7s, immediate and delayed recall). While increases in mental fatigue and corresponding decreases in positive mood were observed between test sessions occurring on the same day, there were no negative consequences of long term testing on mood across the duration of the study. CONCLUSION: Practice effects were evident for all investigated cognitive tasks, with strongest effects apparent between visits one and two. Methodological recommendations to reduce the impact of practice on the statistical power of future intervention studies have been made, including the use of alternate task forms at each repetition and the provision of a familiarisation visit on a separate day prior to data collection. Show more

Keywords: Cognition, practice effects, nutrition intervention, methodology

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-170038

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 309-322, 2018

Authors: Santos-Parker, Jessica R. | Lubieniecki, Kara L. | Rossman, Matthew J. | Van Ark, Hannah J. | Bassett, Candace J. | Strahler, Talia R. | Chonchol, Michel B. | Justice, Jamie N. | Seals, Douglas R.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest curcumin is a promising nutraceutical for improving important clinical and physiological markers of healthy aging, including motor and cognitive function. OBJECTIVE: To determine if curcumin supplementation improves motor and cognitive function in healthy middle-aged and older adults. METHODS: 39 healthy men and postmenopausal women (45–74 yrs) were randomized to 12 weeks of placebo (n  = 19) or curcumin supplementation (2000 mg/day Longvida® ; n  = 20) with motor and cognitive function assessed at week 0 and 12. RESULTS: Using measures of the NIH Toolbox and other standardized tests, there were no changes in …muscle strength and rate of torque development, dexterity, fatigability, mobility, endurance, and balance between the placebo and curcumin groups after 12 weeks (all P  > 0.05). Additionally, there were no changes after 12 weeks of placebo and curcumin supplementation in measures of fluid cognitive ability, a cognitive domain that declines with age, including processing speed, executive function, working memory, and episodic memory (all P  > 0.3). There were marginal changes in language, a measure of crystallized cognitive ability that is stable with age, following the intervention, wherein reading decoding increased 3% in the curcumin group (post: 2428±35 vs. pre: 2357±34, P  = 0.003), but was unchanged in the placebo group (post: 2334±39 vs. pre: 2364±40, P  = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, 12 weeks of curcumin supplementation does not improve motor and cognitive functions in healthy middle-aged and older adults. It is possible that curcumin may enhance these functions in groups with greater baseline impairments than those studied here, including adults greater than 75 years of age and/or patients with clinical disorders. Show more

Keywords: Aging, curcumin, motor, cognitive, NIH toolbox

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-170029

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 323-333, 2018

Authors: Alam, Iftikhar | Shivappa, Nitin | Hebert, James R. | Pawelec, Graham | Larbi, Anis

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Little is known about associations between dietary inflammation, age and anthropometric measurements. OBJECTIVE: In this regard, we examine how DII is related to age, anthropometrics [weight, Body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio (WHR)] and other parameters of nutrition (energy, protein, fats and cholesterol intake, Net Endogenous Acid Production (NEAP) and Phytochemical Index (PI)) in a cross-sectional study in Pakistan. DESIGN: Only men (n  = 651, age 54–95 years) participated in the study. Anthropometric data were collected using standard methods. DII was calculated from nutrients derived from 24-hr Dietary Recall questionnaires. NEAP and PI were …calculated by established algorithms using information on nutrient intake. RESULTS: The results show that with increasing age, there was a significant increase in the DII score (p  < 0.05). Similarly significant positive correlations were found between DII score and weight, BMI, WHR and % BF (p , for all trends < 0.05). DII score significantly positively correlated with the dietary factors studied i.e. energy, protein, and fats (p , for all trends < 0.0001) but non-significantly with cholesterol (p  > 0.05). Similarly, a significant positive correlation with NEAP (p  < 0.0001) was found, but negative with PI (p  < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the present study shows direct positive correlations between the DII, age and indices of obesity, and thus supports the hypothesis that diet may have a role in the development of obesity through inflammatory modulation mechanisms in elderly. Show more

Keywords: Aging, diet, anthropometrics, inflammation, dietary inflammatory index (DII)

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-180042

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 335-343, 2018

Authors: Gabel, Kelsey | Hoddy, Kristin K. | Haggerty, Nicole | Song, Jeehee | Kroeger, Cynthia M. | Trepanowski, John F. | Panda, Satchidananda | Varady, Krista A.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Time restricted feeding decreases energy intake without calorie counting and may be a viable option for weight loss. However, the effect of this diet on body weight in obese subjects has never been examined. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effects of 8-h time restricted feeding on body weight and metabolic disease risk factors in obese adults. DESIGN: Obese subjects (n  = 23) participated in an 8-h time restricted feeding intervention (ad libitum feeding between 10:00 to 18:00 h, water fasting between 18:00 to 10:00 h) for 12 weeks. Weight loss and other outcomes were compared to a matched …historical control group (n  = 23). RESULTS: Body weight and energy intake decreased in the time restricted group (–2.6% ± 0.5; –341 ± 53 kcal/d) relative to controls over 12 weeks (P  < 0.05). Systolic blood pressure decreased in the time restricted feeding group (–7 ± 2 mm Hg) versus controls (P  < 0.05). Fat mass, lean mass, visceral fat mass, diastolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and homocysteine were not significantly different from controls after 12 weeks (no group×time interaction). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that 8-h time restricted feeding produces mild caloric restriction and weight loss, without calorie counting. It may also offer clinical benefits by reducing blood pressure. Show more

Keywords: Time restricted feeding, intermittent fasting, body weight, metabolic disease risk factors, obese adults

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-170036

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 345-353, 2018

Authors: Heilbronn, Leonie K.

Article Type: Other

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-180001

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 355-356, 2018