Nutrition and Healthy Aging - Volume 6, issue 1

Authors: Gribble, Kristin E.

Article Type: Review Article

Abstract: Because every species has unique attributes relevant to understanding specific aspects of aging, using a diversity of study systems and a comparative biology approach for aging research has the potential to lead to novel discoveries applicable to human health. Monogonont rotifers, a standard model for studies of aquatic ecology, evolutionary biology, and ecotoxicology, have also been used to study lifespan and healthspan for nearly a century. However, because much of this work has been published in the ecology and evolutionary biology literature, it may not be known to the biomedical research community. In this review, we provide an overview of …Brachionus rotifers as a model to investigate nutritional and metabolic regulators of aging, with a focus on recent studies of dietary and metabolic pathway manipulation. Rotifers are microscopic, aquatic invertebrates with many advantages as a system for studying aging, including a two-week lifespan, easy laboratory culture, direct development without a larval stage, sexual and asexual reproduction, easy delivery of pharmaceuticals in liquid culture, and transparency allowing imaging of cellular morphology and processes. Rotifers have greater gene homology with humans than do established invertebrate models for aging, and thus rotifers may be used to investigate novel genetic mechanisms relevant to human lifespan and healthspan. The research on caloric restriction; dietary, pharmaceutical, and genetic interventions; and transcriptomics of aging using rotifers provide insights into the metabolic regulators of lifespan and health and suggest future directions for aging research. Capitalizing on the unique biology of Brachionus rotifers, referencing the vast existing literature about the influence of diet and drugs on rotifer lifespan and health, continuing the development of genetic tools for rotifers, and growing the rotifer research community will lead to new discoveries a better understanding of the biology of aging. Show more

Keywords: Rotifer, Brachionus , comparative biology, caloric restriction, metabolism

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-200104

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 1-15, 2021

Authors: Mishra, Manish | Howlett, Susan E.

Article Type: Review Article

Abstract: The concept of frailty refers to heterogeneity in the risk of adverse outcomes for people of the same age. It is traditionally thought of as the inability of the body to maintain homeostasis. It can help explain differences between chronological and biological age and can quantify healthspan in experimental studies. Although clinical studies have developed tools to quantify frailty over the past two decades, preclinical models of frailty have only recently been introduced. This review describes the notion of frailty and outlines two commonly used clinical approaches to quantify frailty: the frailty phenotype and the frailty index. Translation of these …methodologies for use in animals is introduced and studies that use these models to evaluate interventions designed to attenuate or exacerbate frailty are discussed. These include studies involving manipulation of diet, implementation of exercise regimens and tests of pharmaceutical agents to exacerbate or attenuate frailty. Together, this body of work suggests that preclinical frailty assessment tools are a valuable new resource to quantify the impact of interventions on overall health. Future studies could deploy these models to evaluate new frailty therapies, test combinations of interventions and assess interventions to enhance the ability to resist stressors in the setting of ageing. Show more

Keywords: Frailty index, frailty phenotype, healthspan, exercise, drug treatment, diet

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-200103

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 17-33, 2021

Authors: Levolger, Stef | van den Engel, Sandra | Ambagtsheer, Gisela | IJzermans, Jan N.M. | de Bruin, Ron W.F.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Quercetin is a flavonoid with reported antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects, and may limit muscle wasting in cancer cachexia. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of quercetin on muscle wasting in the murine C26 cancer-cachexia model and assess the feasibility of non-invasive micro-CT analysis of skeletal muscle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Custom CRM(P) diets supplemented with 250 mg/kg quercetin (Q) were obtained. Thirty CD2F1 mice were equally randomized to non-tumor-bearing (NTB), C26 tumor-bearing (TB), TB + Q. All groups started their allocated diet and underwent hindlimb micro-CT. Bodyweight, food intake, and grip-strength were recorded periodically. After 21 days, repeat micro-CT …was performed. Gastrocnemius (GCM) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles were resected. mRNA expression of MuRF1, Atrogin-1, myogenin, and MyoD was determined. RESULTS: NTB and TB + Q gained 9.4% and 5.3% bodyweight respectively, TB lost 3.9%. Hind limb skeletal muscle volume remained stable for NTB and TB + Q, whereas TB decreased from 242.0 mm3 to 212.8 mm3 . Mean GCM muscle weight was 175.2 mg (NTB), 171.3 mg (TB + Q) versus 125.5 mg (TB). A tendency towards decreased expression of atrogin-1 and MuRF1 was observed in TB + Q. CONCLUSION: Dietary quercetin supplementation limits bodyweight loss and muscle wasting in the C26-cancer-associated cachexia model. Show more

Keywords: Quercetin, cachexia, cancer, muscle wasting

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-200084

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 35-47, 2021

Authors: Hayfron, Elsie Nana Aba Abbiw | Annan, Reginald Adjetey | Edusei, Anthony Kwaku | Apprey, Charles | Asamoah-Boakye, Odeafo

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Older adults, both institutionalized and free-living are vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies and poor nutritional status, which affect morbidity and quality of life amongst them. Yet, little attention on nutritional needs is given to this vulnerable group in many developing countries, and very little data exist on the nutritional status of older Ghanaians. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed dietary intakes, anthropometric status, and anaemia prevalence among older adults in Effutu Municipality, Ghana. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, anthropometry, repeated 24-hour dietary recall, haemoglobin levels were determined among 150 older adults (60–87 years). The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) …questionnaire was used to determine malnutrition prevalence among older adults. RESULTS: None of the older adults met estimated average requirement (EAR) and adequate intake (AI) for vitamin E and calcium respectively, and 72.0%, 71.3%, 99.3%, 98.7%,76.0% had insufficient intake for energy, protein, zinc, folate and vitamin C respectively. Also, 39.3% were anaemic using haemoglobin cut-offs, 12.0% were malnourished based on the MNA tool and 28.0% were underweight based on BMI index. Married older adults (OR = 0.1, p  = 0.005, 95% CI = 0.1–0.5) had lower odds for anaemia than those who were divorced. Underweight participants had 11.7 increased odds of being anaemic (OR = 11.7, p  = 0.048, 95% CI = 1.0–135.0) than overweight participants. Those who had adequate vitamin C (OR = 0.3, p  = 0.018, 95% CI = 0.1–0.8) and folate (OR = 0.2, p  = 0.396, 95% CI = 0.1–6.7) intakes had lower odds of being anaemic than those with inadequate vitamin C and folate intakes, while those who had adequate iron (OR = 1.4, p  = 0.412, 95% CI = 0.6–3.2) and vitamin B12 (OR = 1.6, p  = 0.473, 95% CI = 0.5–5.3) intakes were more likely to be anaemic CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate nutrient intakes, anaemia, underweight and malnutrition prevalence were found among these older adults. Anaemia was associated with being underweight, but not nutrients intake. The nutritional needs of older people should be addressed to reduce risks for disease. Show more

Keywords: Anaemia, dietary intakes, anthropometric status, nutritional status, older adults, Effutu Municipality

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-200092

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 49-59, 2021

Authors: Schering, Teresa | Schiffer, Linda | McLeod, Andrew | DeMott, Andrew | Hughes, Susan | Fitzgibbon, Marian L. | Tussing-Humphreys, Lisa

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Strategies to reduce osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms and increase physical function in persons with lower extremity (LE) OA is a public health priority. OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between diet quality and measures of physical function among overweight and obese older adults with self-reported LE OA. METHODS: 413 overweight and obese primarily African American adults ≥60 years old with LE OA were assessed. Diet quality was quantified using the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) and Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010). The six-minute walk, 30-second chair-stands, and timed up-and-go tests were used to assess physical function. Unadjusted and multivariable …linear regressions were performed to assess associations between the diet quality and measures of physical function. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 67.8 (SD 5.9) years and mean BMI was 34.8 (SD 5.5) kg/m2 . Adjusting for total calories, AHEI-2010 total score was associated with superior performance on the six-minute walk test. However, the association was attenuated when also controlling for age, gender, BMI, waist circumference, self-reported pain, and physical activity. HEI-2010 was not associated with the physical function measures. CONCLUSION: AHEI-2010 total score was positively associated with walking speed among older overweight and obese primarily AA older adults with LE OA. However, the association weakened when adjusting for subject covariates. The relationship between diet quality and physical function among health disparate populations should be further investigated in larger cohorts and using rigorous experimental study design. Show more

Keywords: Diet quality, osteoarthritis, African Americans, older adults, obesity

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-190081

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 61-71, 2021

Authors: Munasinghe, Mihiri | Almotayri, Abdullah | Thomas, Jency | Heydarian, Deniz | Weerasinghe, Maneka | Jois, Markandeya

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Cocoa, one of the richest dietary sources of polyphenols has been studied for its health promoting effects, but how long-term consumption of cocoa affects age-associated health and lifespan is not well defined. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of long-term cocoa consumption on age-associated health and lifespan in C. elegans METHODS: The standard E. coli OP50 diet of wild type C. elegans was supplemented with cocoa powder starting from L1 stage until they die. Body length and area were measured as indicators of worm nutrition. Age …associated health was determined at different stages of life as day 4, day 8 and day 12 using worm locomotion, thermotolerance, cognition and mitochondrial function. In addition, lifespan was evaluated. RESULTS: Cocoa improved age-associated decline in neuromuscular function. Both mean and median lifespan were extended by cocoa supplementation. However, maximum lifespan was not affected. Cocoa showed beneficial effects on thermotolerance at all ages (more prominent effects at young (day 4) and middle (day 8) age). Further, consumption of cocoa improved age-related learning deficits, short-term memory loss and mitochondrial dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term cocoa consumption seemed to improve age-associated health and extends lifespan in C. elegans Show more

Keywords: Cocoa, aging, lifespan, C. elegans , antioxidants, polyphenols

DOI: 10.3233/NHA-200100

Citation: Nutrition and Healthy Aging, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 73-86, 2021