Diet & Chronic Disease Prevention for Healthy Aging
Research in our Diet & Chronic Disease Prevention for Healthy Aging directive strives to find specific food components, foods, and dietary patterns that promote healthy aging and can help delay or slow progression of age-related chronic diseases.
Our scientists are investigating how diet and physical activity influence cellular, metabolic, and chronic disease risk factors. As part of this effort, they are also advancing methodologies to effectively measure diet quality, physical activity, and biomarkers that reflect healthy aging.
Examples of our work
Research summary: Calorie restriction as a way to slow biological aging
Calorie restriction is the only nutritional intervention known to extend healthspan, a measure of healthy aging, in animals. Scientists in our Diet & Chronic Disease Prevention for Healthy Aging directive, examined the effects of 2-year caloric restriction in CALERIETM, the first, multi-site study in humans, conducted, in part, at the HNRCA. Participants in the CALERIETM trial were able to safely reduce their caloric intake and experienced numerous health-related benefits including reductions in inflammation and cardiovascular risk factors. The CALERIETM study demonstrated that the benefits of calorie restriction extend to humans, and have the potential to slow the processes inherent to biological aging, thereby building a foundation for future intervention and research.
- Read our summary of the benefits of calorie restriction in humans
- Read our calorie restriction and dietary intake study
Research Summary: Healthy oils and risk factors for heart disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. and globally. A focus in the Diet & Chronic Disease Prevention for Healthy Aging directive has been to identify diet related factors that are associated with decreased risk of developing heart disease. Our scientists have demonstrated the benefits of soybean oil compared to butter, soybean oil compared to partially hydrogenated fat, and soybean or canola oil compared to palm oil. They have also determined that soy protein compared to animal protein, as well as soy derisoflavones do not in themselves, improve cardiovascular risk factors. These findings are important contributions to the evidence base used to develop dietary guidelines.
Additional studies
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Individuals with obesity frequently have lower circulating vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels. However, it is unknown whether obesity influences the time for circulating vitamin D to stabilize after starting vitamin D supplements. Scientists in our Diet & Chronic Disease Prevention for Healthy Aging directive studied how long it takes for vitamin D levels to stabilize after starting vitamin D supplements in people with normal bodyweight, who are over-weight, and have obesity. They found that individuals who are overweight and have obesity took longer to reach stable circulating vitamin D levels compared to the usual three months commonly used in clinical practice. This indicates that clinicians need updated guidance on how 25(OH)D levels respond to supplementation in these individuals to monitor their vitamin D status effectively.
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Most research about vitamin K and bone health has focused on the plant-based vitamin K form, phylloquinone, and its metabolite menaquinone-4 (MK4). However, other forms of vitamin K produced by bacteria are abundant in the intestinal microbiome and are gaining interest due to their potential link to bone health in prior research. Scientists in our Diet & Chronic Disease prevention for Healthy Aging directive evaluated the effect of a bacterially produced form of vitamin K, menaquinone-9 (MK9), on skeletal health in growing mice. They found that MK9 was a precursor to MK4 in bone tissue, but dietary MK9 supplementations did not improve bone tissue quality or density. These findings do not support a protective role for vitamin K in skeletal health.
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Diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, lower inflammation and heart disease risk. This occurs when our body converts these fatty acids into molecules called specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), which reduce inflammation. However, the relationship between SPMs, fish intake, and inflammation status in humans is not well understood. To explore this, scientists in our Diet & Chronic Disease Prevention for Healthy Aging directive investigated the association among circulating omega-3 fatty acids (biomarkers of fish intake), inflammatory biomarkers, and SPMs in older adults with low-grade inflammation. They found higher circulating levels of docosahexaenoic acid were associated with lower concentrations of several inflammatory biomarkers and SPMs. These findings highlight an area that warrants further research.
