New Article Sheds Light on Nutrition and Aging
Within the next 20 years, the number of adults over the age of 65 is expected to more than double while the number of those over the age of 85 is expected to triple while the population becomes more racially and ethnically diverse. The Research Center Collaborative Network sponsored a workshop focused on the importance of nutrition and healthy aging.
Key points of the workshop included
Nutrition: Nutrition plays a crucial role in healthy aging, influencing factors like physical function, cognition, and overall well-being.
Challenges: Older adults often face challenges in maintaining a healthy diet, such as reduced appetite, difficulty chewing or swallowing, and limited access to nutritious foods.
Strategies: The workshop identified various strategies to address these challenges, including improving access to nutritious foods, providing education on healthy eating, and developing personalized nutrition plans.
Collaborative Efforts The report emphasizes the importance of collaboration among researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and community organizations to implement effective nutrition interventions for older adults.
The article, “Perspective: Promoting Healthy Aging through Nutrition: A Research Centers Collaborative Network Workshop Report”, to which Larissa Strath was a co-author covers this workshop and has been published in Advances in Nutrition!
Check out the article here!
New Study on Opioid Use for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Related Dementia
In a new article titled, “Short- and long-term safety of discontinuing chronic opioid therapy among older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia”, which has recently been published in Age and Ageing, Roger Fillingim, alongside researchers from The University of Florida as well as The Ohio State University, explored the short- and long-term safety of discontinuing versus continuing chronic opioid therapy for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
During the course of the study, the researchers looked at a group of over 162,677 older adults living in nursing homes who had Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia and were currently receiving chronic opioid therapy. The results of the study found that discontinuing opioid therapy doesn’t worsen pain or lead to withdrawal symptoms in the short or long term. Additionally, stopping opioids might improve quality of life and cognitive function. This suggests that carefully discontinuing opioid therapy could be a safe and beneficial option for older adults with dementia who are on chronic opioid treatment.
View the research here!