
Diet and
Aging--Exploring the LinkBy Rosalie Marion
Bliss June 6, 2003Eating right as you get older, among
other diet-related aging issues, will be discussed during a scientific meeting
that begins today in Baltimore, Md. Experts from a variety of academic,
professional and private organizations will speak today through June 9 at the
32nd Annual Meeting of the American Aging Association (AGE). Among the speakers are eight from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition
Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (HNRCA), at Boston, Mass. The HNRCA is
funded by the Agricultural Research
Service, the chief scientific research agency of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. The HNRCA scientists, many of whom have published seminal works on
diet-related aging issues, will speak on a variety of individual topics.
Organizer James Joseph, who heads the HNRCA's
Neuroscience
Laboratory, arranged many session topics addressing the theme of
"Nutritional Modulation of Aging and Age-Related Diseases." Joseph, a neuroscientist who is also the current AGE president, will provide
opening remarks on Saturday, June 7, at 8 a.m. to kick off the sessions. He
will also speak about the role of polyphenols--a group of beneficial compounds
found in many fruits and vegetables--in brain aging. Technical themes include beneficial and harmful fats in foods, such as
omega-3 and trans fatty acids; desirable chemical properties of fruits and
vegetables, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents; and cellular
oxidative stress affected by lifestyle habits, such as diet. Other important topics that will be presented include molecular and cellular
mechanisms involved in diet and insulin resistance; genomics research as
applied to diet and aging, called nutrigenomics; the possible neuro- and
cardio-protective roles of green tea polyphenols; and beneficial synergy
between vitamins and phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables. More information about the meeting, including the speakers and their topics,
may be obtained from Rosalie Marion Bliss of ARS (phone 301-504-4318,
[email protected]) and from AGE's
electronic program on the World Wide Web: http://www.americanaging.org/Program.htm
U.S. Department of Agriculture |