ABOUT THE PROJECT
NU-AGE is a project about the diet of older people and how the right diet prevents age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis (which means hardening of the arterial walls and is a risk factor for heart disease), type 2 diabetes and neurodegeneration that causes mental decline.
The main part of the project consists of a 1-year dietary intervention in which 625 elderly individuals from across Europe are asked to be fed in accordance with the 65+ food guidelines developed for the project. Blood, urine, and other samples will be collected from participants before and after the intervention to measure the effects of the diet. Results will be compared with a control group of 625 elderly individuals who did not change their diets.
In line with the information gained from the intervention study, NU-AGE will develop food products designed especially for elderly consumers. At the same time, the socioeconomic determinants of the food choices of the elderly will be examined and how best to communicate dietary recommendations to the elderly population will be investigated.
RESULTS
The overall aim of the NU-AGE project is to address the elderly through the whole diet approach.
To improve the health and quality of life of the aging population in the EU by tackling inflammation (a chronic, low-grade inflammatory state associated with ageing is one of the factors of age-related disease). Through this approach, the project’s goal is to fill the current lack of knowledge about how a whole diet can affect age-related weakness and how it can be used to combat it. Purposes:
Designing a new food pyramid, the “NU-AGE diet” for EU citizens over 65
To develop a multidisciplinary approach aiming to elucidate the role of diet for the aging population in the EU and to elucidate the relationship of diet’s molecular and cellular mechanisms of action to a healthy longevity.
Contribute to dietary standards, recommendations and foods based on guidelines for older people in the EU
design fortified foods supplied by the food industry, specifically aimed at delaying the weakness caused by aging
Nutrition has the potential to be a central modulator of age-related inflammation and its consequences.
Developing food products specifically designed for the elderly.
