title: Nutrigerontology: why we need a new scientific discipline to develop diets and guidelines to reduce the risk of aging-related diseases.
abstract: Many diets and nutritional advice are circulating, often based on short- or medium-term clinical trials and primary outcomes, like changes in LDL cholesterol or weight. It remains difficult to assess which dietary interventions can be effective in the long term to reduce the risk of aging-related disease and increase the (healthy) lifespan. At the same time, the scientific discipline that studies the aging process has identified some important nutrient-sensing pathways that modulate the aging process, such as the mTOR and the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway. A thorough understanding of the aging process can help assessing the efficacy of dietary interventions aimed at reducing the risk of aging-related diseases. To come to these insights, a synthesis of biogerontological, nutritional, and medical knowledge is needed, which can be framed in a new discipline called 'nutrigerontology'.
authors.affiliation: Center Leo Apostel for Interdisciplinary Studies (CLEA), Free University of Brussels (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Verburgh
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D004032:Diet; D005853:Geriatrics; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: aging; aging-related diseases; biogerontology; cardiovascular disease; diabetes type 2; diet; nutrient-sensing pathways; nutrition; obesity; overweight