Editorial

In no other time in history have we been better equipped to take on the challenges of aging gracefully. We live longer and yet, so many people live with compromised health. Diet and lifestyle are at the nexus of delivering both long life and quality of life. The research continues to unveil links between the foods, beverages, and natural products we ingest and health outcomes across the lifespan.

Nutrition and Healthy Aging is a new international journal directed to the study of the effects of nutrition and dietary components on aging and age-related diseases. The study of nutrition and healthy aging is diverse and requires research efforts ranging across fields of cell and molecular biology to clinical investigations.

Recently, there have been impressive breakthroughs in our understanding of the impact of nutrition, and specific dietary components and intake patterns in modulating the metabolic and molecular pathways regulating the aging process. This has been made possible through advancements and applications in genomics, epigenetics and molecular biology. We are now at a stage where novel insights into how specific dietary interventions may influence lifespan and/or the aging process are emerging rapidly, thus heralding a promising period for translational and clinical research in this area. Such a wealth of valuable research deserves a high quality forum, and as Editors-in-Chief, we are delighted to announce the launch of Nutrition and Healthy Aging, the first journal dedicated to understanding the impact of nutrition on the aging process ¹ . World-class researchers, working across a number of diverse disciplines, ranging from genetics and molecular biology to gerontology and public health, are making high-impact research contributions, and we are delighted to have the support of many such talented international scientists which we believe bodes well for the journal’s rapid success. The journal is dedicated to providing an open forum for original research in basic science, translational research, preventive and clinical medicine that will expedite our fundamental understanding of the aging process and how diet may be applied to prevent or delay the accumulation of molecular damage leading to multiple chronic diseases, and to attenuate both typical and atypical aging.

Nutrition and Healthy Aging will provide a forum to capture work emanating from cellular and animal model studies, as well as human studies designed to assess the impact of diet and individual “nutrients” in modulating human health and longevity. The Journal’s primary interest is in the publication of well-designed, adequately-controlled, hypothesis-driven research, including human intervention trials that use well established clinical endpoints. In addition to the primary focus of the Journal on how diet affects the ageing process itself, we expect significant interest from both authors and readers with regards to the impact of nutritional interventions on the progression and onset of age-related diseases, notably heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, neurodegenerative disorders and neuro-cognitive function. Moreover, it is crucial to understand the mechanism(s) by which diet, or specific nutrients, influence physiological and biological functions, and this will constitute a major focus of the journal. Nutrition and Healthy Aging will actively encourage the publication of manuscripts detailing evidence for the mechanisms of actions of nutrients and those providing evidence for cause-and-effect relationships between individual nutrients and biologically active dietary components, and physiological function.

As you might expect, the launch issue features a strong line-up of research articles and reviews. In addition, Nutrition and Healthy Aging will publish commentaries, short communications, and letters-to-the-editor. All articles submitted and accepted in 2016 and 2017 will be published open access free of charge, with online publication rapidly after acceptance and also in regular print issues. After this initial free period the journal will offer an affordable open access option.

We believe that Nutrition and Healthy Aging meets an unmet need and consequently we are confident that will serve our community well. We fully expect that the journal will become an influential force for good in advancing the frontiers of research in the coming years and decades.