chosen as an ingredient in a new competitive nutraceutical product .
A nutraceutical is a food product that provides medical or health benefits , including the prevention and treatment of disease .
Dr Stuppner is pleased that ‘ the beneficial effects of healthy eating are greatly recognised and globally acknowledged .’ But , he points out , the majority of food plants have not even been investigated and any benefits are unknown as yet .
The MediHealth project operated with a unique structure that gathered together 13 different groups of experts from both the academic world and industry . They created and analysed metabolites that mimic the processing of plant extracts by the human digestive system .
The scientists wanted to know if these could arrest age-related decline . This would produce a strong scientific base for the development of new products to fight the effects of ageing .
Dr Stuppner explains that this strategy of sharing across multidisciplinary teams ‘ helps to increase the scientific interest in natural products research ’. Despite the deep collaborations , some questions remained unanswered . Which is why MediHealth ’ s partners kept working together after the end of the project in 2019 .
It is a prospect to be welcomed . ‘ There are undoubtedly some new results to be expected ,’ said Dr Stuppner , ‘ regarding new natural products , their pharmacological activity , their mechanisms of action and their impact on healthy ageing .’
Old but InDEPENDEnt
People who are older may need , on average , more protein than younger people . Inadequate protein intake by older adults is a cause for concern . The InDEPENDEnt study took a look at the impact of proteinbased diets on disability in ageing Europeans and Americans .
‘ How a person wishes to age varies from person to person ,’ said Nuno Mendonça from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Portugal , who took part in this research . ‘ However , and in general , older adults care more about being able to stay independent and go about their daily activities than simply extending life-expectancy without quality of life .’
The emergence of disability can be gradual , or it can be sudden after an important stressor event , explained Mendonça .
So called ‘ good nutrition ’, which provides a person with all necessary nutrients according to their sex , age and health status , goes hand-in-hand with physical activity when it comes to resisting age-related diseases . Together they tend to prevent the decline of muscle that may lead up to disability .
The project analysed data from four large studies in Europe and North America . InDEPENDEnt ’ s findings add to the evidence that a sustained and adequate intake of protein over time can slow down the ageing process .
The result was not unexpected . ‘ Good nutrition plays a very important role in prevention ,’ said Mendonça . ‘ Adequate protein intake seemed to be effective at preventing incident disability .’
There is still a great deal left to understand , such as , the protein requirements under specific conditions in older adults . There are questions about what , if any , differences exist between the sources of protein and the role of amino acids , which are the building blocks of protein . There is still some controversy about increasing protein dietary guidelines for healthy older adults despite broad agreement in the scientific community .
These studies , together with others , may inform the development of new dietary protein guidelines for older adults and public health interventions . To follow up , the team are planning a new project called IPHUNCTION in order to study the interplay between protein and physical activity .
Age is inevitable but food and nutrition may hold the key to making sure the ageing process is healthy and positive .
The research in this article was funded by the EU . If you liked this article , please consider sharing it on social media .
Research shows that eating a balanced diet rich in plants and with an adequate intake of protein can help slow down the ageing process .
This article was originally published in Horizon , the EU Research and Innovation magazine . Read the original article here
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