Nutrition and Aging

Question 1

Rate of aging -> age related diseases -> death

Answer 1

3 factors contribute -> genetics (senescence genes, genes coding for components of biomolecules defense systems), lifestyle factors (diet, housing, exercise), environment (exposure to chemicals, disease causing organisms)

Question 2

Xenobiotic detoxification systems

Answer 2

activity of these enzymes declines with age

Question 3

Disability threshold

Answer 3

Functional capacity of individual’s tissues and organs (lungs and kidney) may develop and decline at different rates -> below this point there is a functional disability -> different people reach this at different stages

Question 4

Total dysfunction of the lung

Answer 4

normally occurs at 130-140 years old, this number is lowered by ROS, smoking, COPD (lungs reach maturity at 18-25 years)

Question 5

Frailty

Answer 5

ability to withstand challenges -> in between senility and death

Question 6

Programmed aging

Answer 6

aging theory that says that limited number of cell divisions and neuroendocrine and brain function decrease

Question 7

Inefficient DNA repair

Answer 7

aging theory that says over a lifetime -> proportion of cells carrying abnormal DNA increases

Question 8

Free radical damage

Answer 8

aging theory that says there is a decreased efficiency of free radical scavenging systems as we age

Question 9

Summation of cumulative damage to life systems sustained throughout lifetime

Answer 9

aging theory that says accumulation of damaged cell lipids and proteins and raised levels of oxidant and inflammatory stress (increase in CRP)

Question 10

Programmed cellular aging

Answer 10

majority of our cells initially contain telomeres of a certain length -> with each cell division this length is diminished by a fixed amount

Question 11

Cardiovascular changes with aging

Answer 11

atherosclerosis, hypertension

Question 12

Central nervous system changes with aging

Answer 12

reduced cognitive function

Question 13

Musculoskeletal changes with aging

Answer 13

skeletal muscle atrophy, osteoporosis

Question 14

Respiratory changes with aging

Answer 14

reduced lung volume, obstructive pulmonary disease

Question 15

Endocrine changes with aging

Answer 15

non-insulin dependent diabetes, hypercortisolemia

Question 16

Immune changes with aging

Answer 16

generally decline in function -> especially T cells

Question 17

Factors leading to increased morbidity and mortality in the elderly

Answer 17

sarcopenia, malnutrition and frailty (all inter-related)

Question 18

Frailty

Answer 18

clinical syndrome characterized by at least 3 of the following criteria -> weight loss, self reported exhaustion, weakness (fall in hand grip strength), slow walking speed, low physical activity

Question 19

Sarcopenia

Answer 19

excessive loss of skeletal muscle -> impairment in activities of daily living, loss of strength, increased incidence of falls, increased incidence of hip factors, calf circumference < 31cm

Question 20

Conditions leading to sarcopenia

Answer 20

age related (sex hormones, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction), cachexia, starvation and malabsorption, endocrine (corticosteroids, GH, IGF-1, thyroid, insulin resistance), Disuse (immobility, physical inactivity, zero gravity), neurodegenerative diseases (motor neuron loss)

Question 21

Aging

Answer 21

associated with loss of lean body mass -> particularly skeletal muscle

Question 22

Malnutrition

Answer 22

weight loss >5% in 3 months or 10% in 6 months, BMI < 20, serum albumin <3.5 g/dL

Question 23

Increase in signs of inflammatory and oxidative stress

Answer 23

increased cytokine production, loss of muscle and bone, increased blood lipids, increased amount of disease with an inflammatory components in its cause -> shown by an increase in plasma triglycerides and CRP as people age

Question 24

IL-6

Answer 24

level of protein synthesis (myosin heavy chain in this study) is decreased as this marker of inflammation increases

Question 25

Aging process

Answer 25

increases production of proinflammatory cytokines -> inhibits function of T cells and B cells -> antioxidants can prevent this (NFkB)

Question 26

Chronic activation of inflammatory signaling pathways

Answer 26

causes immuno-senescence (dysfunction of T and B cells, monocytes, NK cells, neutrophils, thymic shrinkage, altered Th1/Th2 profile, genetics), metabolic dysregulation and poor aging outcomes (infections, cancer, CVD, metabolic syndrome, frailty) -> need to prevent this in order to improve aging (no smoking, no obesity)

Question 27

CRP and IL-6

Answer 27

when you have both increased in your blood it significantly increases your risk of dying than just one by itself

Question 28

Proteins and other cell components

Answer 28

become damaged by cross-linking carboxylation, glycation, etc and are removed by tissue degradation -> protein degradation slows with aging and damaged proteins and other molecules accumulate in all tissues exerting a pro-inflammatory influence

Question 29

Glycation (furosine) and glycoxidation (pentosidine)

Answer 29

biochemical relationship between these markers -> Ne-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) can also potentially originate from lipid peroxidation and pentosidine from ascorbate

Question 30

Foods rich in AGEs/ALE's (advanced glycation end products)

Answer 30

dairy products, grains, meat, (increases from boiling to oven frying), egg yolk powder, lecithin powder, Chinese soy products, coffee, tea, alcohol and beer

Question 31

Increased accumulation of the glycoxidation product

Answer 31

CML was reported to be significantly increased in old adults and even more significantly in diabetic patients

Question 32

Increased AGE

Answer 32

intake in diabetic patients triggers changes in markers of inflammation -> linked to diabetes and vascular dysfunction -> high serum levels predict increased CHD in non-diabetic men but not non-diabetic women

Question 33

Vitamin B6, E and selenium

Answer 33

improvement in immune function if deficient

Question 34

Vitamins B6, 12 and folate

Answer 34

protection against lung cancer in non-smokers

Question 35

Carotenoids, vitamins C and E

Answer 35

adequate lifetime amounts may produce decline in cognitive function

Question 36

Omega 3 PUFA

Answer 36

prevention or reversal of atherosclerosis, improvement in immune function

Question 37

IL10 (1082 polymorphism)

Answer 37

anti-inflammatory -> if you have the genotype to be a high producer you have a good chance of being over 100 (GG)

Question 38

IL-1 pro-inflammatory SNP

Answer 38

Men live longer without this

Question 39

TNF alpha pro inflammatory SNPs

Answer 39

Women live longer with this (counter intuitive)

Question 40

Who have higher inflammation (CRP) and more fatty and less stable plaques

Answer 40

Men

Question 41

Increased EPA (fish oil)

Answer 41

has more of an effect on older subjects and inhibits inflammation more successfully (more inflammation going on in older people)

Question 42

fish oil is more affective in this group (not related to age)

Answer 42

TNF-a-308 AA allele causes increased inflammation

Question 43

can increase the lifespan (seen in Rhesus monkeys), prolong disease onset (more animals free of symptoms)

Answer 43

Low calorie diet (calorie restriction)

Question 44

survive longer (BMR is set at a lower rate)

Answer 44

Lower body temperature

Question 45

people with low fasting insulin, people with higher levels of DHEA

Answer 45

Live longer

Question 46

study looking at reduced calorie diet decreases systolic blood pressure

Answer 46

Biosphere 2

Question 47

study looking at calorie restricted/calorie restricted + exercise -> led to significant weight decrease and decrease in body core temperature

Answer 47

CALERIE

Question 48

prevent inflammatory stress from becoming worse -> reduce the likelihood of immunosuppression

Answer 48

Healthy aging