title: Combating inflammaging through a Mediterranean whole diet approach: the NU-AGE project's conceptual framework and design.
abstract: The development of a chronic, low grade, inflammatory status named "inflammaging" is a major characteristic of ageing, which plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases. Inflammaging is both local and systemic, and a variety of organs and systems contribute inflammatory stimuli that accumulate lifelong. The NU-AGE rationale is that a one year Mediterranean whole diet (considered by UNESCO a heritage of humanity), newly designed to meet the nutritional needs of the elderly, will reduce inflammaging in fully characterized subjects aged 65-79 years of age, and will have systemic beneficial effects on health status (physical and cognitive). Before and after the dietary intervention a comprehensive set of analyses, including omics (transcriptomics, epigenetics, metabolomics and metagenomics) will be performed to identify the underpinning molecular mechanisms. NU-AGE will set up a comprehensive database as a tool for a systems biology approach to inflammaging and nutrition. NU-AGE is highly interdisciplinary, includes leading research centres in Europe on nutrition and ageing, and is complemented by EU multinational food industries and SMEs, interested in the production of functional and enriched/advanced traditional food tailored for the elderly market, and European Federations targeting policy makers and major stakeholders, from consumers to EU Food & Drink Industries.
authors.affiliation: University of Bologna, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: aurelia.santoro@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Aurelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.affiliation: C.I.G. Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani", University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pini
authors.affiliation: University of Bologna, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scurti
authors.affiliation: C.I.G. Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani", University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giustina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palmas
authors.affiliation: Wageningen University, Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berendsen
authors.affiliation: WULS-SGGW, Division of Human Nutrition, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brzozowska
authors.affiliation: WULS-SGGW, Division of Human Nutrition, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pietruszka
authors.affiliation: WULS-SGGW, Division of Human Nutrition, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szczecinska
authors.affiliation: INRA-Clermont Université, Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine d'Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
authors.forename: Noël
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cano
authors.affiliation: CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Unité d'Exploration en Nutrition, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Meunier
authors.affiliation: Wageningen University, Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C P G M
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: de Groot
authors.affiliation: Wageningen University, Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Feskens
authors.affiliation: Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fairweather-Tait
authors.affiliation: University of Bologna, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salvioli
authors.affiliation: University of Bologna, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capri
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brigidi
authors.affiliation: University of Bologna, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy; C.I.G. Interdepartmental Centre "L. Galvani", University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franceschi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D004032:Diet; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D005060:Europe; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D019649:Food Industry; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012107:Research Design; D049490:Systems Biology
keywords: Ageing; Elderly-tailored foods; Gut microbiota; Inflammaging; Mediterranean diet