Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting
Washington, DC, USA
November 5, 2014
This Pre-Conference Workshop was held at the 67th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Gerontological Society of America. The meeting took place at the Marriott Marquis and Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. The workshop was coordinated by the IAFNS Task Force on Aging.
The workshop addressed the following: Though diet and nutritional recommendations have been issued for healthy aging, the definition of healthy aging remains unclear. As a result, definitive assessment and outcome measures to define healthy aging may vary for primary and secondary prevention. Questions are often asked whether healthy aging should be defined as the absence of disease at the cellular or total system level (natural aging) or at the functional performance level. Because aging is a progressive continuum starting from birth to adult life, should aging be defined differently at different age stages as well? The lack of a common vernacular for defining healthy aging, and the lack of agreement on a common set of outcome measures have challenged progress on nutritional guidance for optimizing outcomes of natural aging and for minimizing pathological aging in adults.
Presentations
This event featured the following presentations:
Welcome and Introductory Remarks – The Current State of Nutrition Science on Aging
Chair: Johanna Dwyer, DSc, RD, Tufts
The Science of Aging: Current State of Basic Research and Knowledge on Human Aging from Cellular To Whole System Biology
Speaker: Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD, NIA
Nutrition and Aging: Overview of the State of Nutrition Research and Practice That Optimize ‘Natural Aging’ and Reduce ‘Pathological Aging’
Speaker/Moderator: David Klurfeld, PhD, USDA ARS
Age-Related Changes in Nutritional and Energy Requirements
Speaker: William Evans, PhD, Duke University
Nutrition and Age-Related Cognition Function
Speaker: Regan Bailey, PhD, RD, NIH ODS
Nutrition and Age-Related Changes in Chemosensory Systems: Taste and Smell
Speaker: Beverly Cowart, PhD, Monell Chemical Senses Center
Nutrition and Movement (Muscle-Bone and Joint System)
Speaker: Martina Heer, PhD, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Cologne
Nutrition and Aging Related Changes to Gut Function
Speaker: Gordon Jensen, MD, PhD, Penn State
Defining Healthy Aging
Speaker: Simin Meydani, PhD, Tufts
Panel Session on Defining Healthy Aging
Aims: Strive for agreement on definitions and taxonomy; develop a framework to define healthy aging; identify appropriate outcomes measures, and methodologies and study designs from current scientific learning
Moderator: Simin Meydani, PhD, Tufts
Panelists: Drs. Dwyer, Ferrucci, Klurfeld, Evans, Bailey, Herr, and Jensen
For More Information
Contact Heather Steele for more information.