Optimal body composition indices cutoff values based on all-cause mortality in the elderly

Impact of Early Life Famine Exposure on Body Composition and Metabolic Profiles in Adulthood

The relationship between the famine and metabolic syndrome has been reported, but there is a lack of more detailed changes in metabolic profiles. It is unclear how famine affects body composition. This study included 21,142 participants from the China National Health Survey. The body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI), and fat-free mass index (FFMI) were calculated. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), blood lipids, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were measured. Multivariate adjusted linear regression models were used to assess the association between famine and outcome. Our results shown that fetal-exposed group had higher BMI and FMI (β > 0). Childhood-exposed group showed an average decrease of 0.08 standard deviation (SD) in FFMI, and adolescence-exposed group had lower BMI and FFMI than non-exposed group. SBP were 0.38 SD higher in fetal-exposed group, 0.58 SD higher in childhood-exposed group and 0.85 SD higher in adolescence-exposed group than non-exposed group. Famine-exposed groups had higher total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and FBG levels (β > 0). For females with famine exposure, they had a higher BMI, FMI, LDL-C, TG, and TC than males. Overall, early famine exposure is associated with increased blood pressure, LDL-C, TC, and FBG. Muscle mass loss in adulthood associated with childhood and adolescence famine exposure. Famine-exposed females appear to have higher levels of body fat and blood lipids.

Lifestyle modifications and non-pharmacological management in elderly hypertension

Many studies have examined the effectiveness of lifestyle modifications such as exercise, diet, weight loss, and stress reduction in controlling hypertension in elderly individuals, and several meta-analyses have reported that both aerobic and resistance exercise can reduce blood pressure in this population. In addition, the higher sensitivity to sodium in elderly individuals highlights the importance of restricting salt intake for blood pressure control. Low-sodium salt or potassium supplementation can help with blood pressure control in elderly individuals with hypertension. Several clinical trials have shown that both the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and a Mediterranean diet pattern are effective in reducing blood pressure in older hypertensive patients. Although moderate alcohol consumption does not appear to negatively impact blood pressure control in older adults, blood pressure increases along with heavy alcohol intake. Some studies have indicated that coffee intake increases blood pressure in elderly hypertensive subjects, especially for those who consume more than 3 cups a day. Clinical studies have shown that weight loss through exercise and diet control is beneficial for controlling hypertension in elderly individuals. Anxiety, depression and insomnia also appear to have an impact on elderly hypertension. In this review, we discuss the effectiveness of lifestyle modifications and non-pharmacological management of these factors and their impact on hypertension in elderly individuals, and how to effectively implement them in real-world settings.

Accelerated Aging Induced by an Unhealthy High-Fat Diet: Initial Evidence for the Role of Nrf2 Deficiency and Impaired Stress Resilience in Cellular Senescence

High-fat diets (HFDs) have pervaded modern dietary habits, characterized by their excessive saturated fat content and low nutritional value. Epidemiological studies have compellingly linked HFD consumption to obesity and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Moreover, the synergistic interplay of HFD, obesity, and diabetes expedites the aging process and prematurely fosters age-related diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms driving these associations remain enigmatic. One of the most conspicuous hallmarks of aging is the accumulation of highly inflammatory senescent cells, with mounting evidence implicating increased cellular senescence in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases. Our hypothesis posits that HFD consumption amplifies senescence burden across multiple organs. To scrutinize this hypothesis, we subjected mice to a 6-month HFD regimen, assessing senescence biomarker expression in the liver, white adipose tissue, and the brain. Aging is intrinsically linked to impaired cellular stress resilience, driven by dysfunction in Nrf2-mediated cytoprotective pathways that safeguard cells against oxidative stress-induced senescence. To ascertain whether Nrf2-mediated pathways shield against senescence induction in response to HFD consumption, we explored senescence burden in a novel model of aging: Nrf2-deficient (Nrf2+/-) mice, emulating the aging phenotype. Our initial findings unveiled significant Nrf2 dysfunction in Nrf2+/- mice, mirroring aging-related alterations. HFD led to substantial obesity, hyperglycemia, and impaired insulin sensitivity in both Nrf2+/- and Nrf2+/+ mice. In control mice, HFD primarily heightened senescence burden in white adipose tissue, evidenced by increased Cdkn2a senescence biomarker expression. In Nrf2+/- mice, HFD elicited a significant surge in senescence burden across the liver, white adipose tissue, and the brain. We postulate that HFD-induced augmentation of senescence burden may be a pivotal contributor to accelerated organismal aging and the premature onset of age-related diseases.