The Role of Nutrition in Active and Healthy Ageing: For prevention and treatment of age-related diseases: evidence so far

Europe is facing an ageing population. Life expectancy is at its highest and many European populations are going through major demographic changes and transition towards a much older population structure. However, despite living longer many people suffer ill-health or disability in the last 15 to 20 years of life. To encourage active healthy ageing and to help increase healthy life expectancy, the European Commission has launched the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (the Partnership), which aims to add an average of two healthy life years in Europe by 2020. This report aims to support the Partnership and to review the contribution of diet and nutrition in increasing healthy life years and promoting active healthy ageing (AHA). The report gives a description of the key determinants of AHA including economic, social and behavioural contributions and how they can relate to diet. It focusses on the issue of undernutrition in older people – both a cause and consequence of functional decline. Given the importance of undernutrition and that micronutrient deficiency is a common problem in older adults, this report summarises the evidence on key micronutrient supplementations on prevention and treatment of age-related diseases and conditions. At this stage, the current evidence is not sufficient or strong enough to support the use of vitamin and mineral supplementation to improve health in the elderly. It does not follow that supplementation is not effective; there are many possible explanations for the lack of effects seen in the studies reviewed. However, as it stands, a better approach to ensure proper nutrition in the elderly is to improve their diet, to maximise their intake of essential vitamins and minerals from natural food sources. Indeed, the evidence from Mediterranean diet as a whole diet approach to promote health, increase longevity, and reduce the risks of a range age-related diseases risks supports this in a number of observational studies. A number of research gaps are also highlighted in this report. Further research is needed on the wider determinants of AHA e.g. social, economic and environmental aspects and their interrelationships with dietary behaviours in older people; to identify the most effective strategies to promote public health messages to the older population; further evidence on life-course approach to ageing; and to develop a set of validated, agreeable, cost-effective and non-invasive measures and tools to quantify AHA outcomes including the quality of diet, fitness, and well-being in older people. Above all, there is a need to provide better guidance on diet and nutrition for older population and a set of age-specific, up-to-date dietary recommendations is essential to achieve this.JRC.I.2-Public Health Policy Suppor

Feasibility study on dietary recommendations for older adults in the European Union

Despite mounting scientific evidence to support healthy and balanced diet in promoting active and healthy ageing, targeted, age-specific, and up-to-date dietary recommendations for older adults in Europe are not easy to find. On the 23-24 October 2014, the JRC organised an expert workshop "Feasibility study on dietary recommendations for older adults in the European Union" to discuss the need for dietary recommendations targeting older adults in Europe, and to identify strategies to promote better diet to prevent malnutrition in the older population. Twenty four experts from multiple disciplines related to nutrition and ageing from various European countries participated in the one and half day workshop. The overall consensus was that older adults, who are healthy may not need additional specific dietary recommendations as the current general adult population recommendations are likely to be sufficient, although some argued that even in healthy older adults, attention should still be paid to vitamin D and protein intakes. Participants identified and developed points for action for three main strategies/ working areas to promote better diet and reduce malnutrition in older adults. The strategies were 1) to develop targeted dietary guidelines for specific groups of older adults, 2) to implement general screening with a multi-disciplinary approach, and 3) to carry out additional research in a number of areas related to diet and ageing.JRC.I.2-Public Health Policy Suppor

How can science support policy makers in addressing the nutritional challenges of Europe? : A workshop organised within the frame of the JRC Enlargement and Integration Action programme

There is a clear albeit complex link between nutrition and health. This workshop brought together nutrition and public health experts from EU-Enlargement and Integration Action (E&IA) countries as well as current member states to discuss this link and attempt to answer the question "How can science support policy makers in addressing the nutritional challenges of Europe?". In line with one of the workshop aims, we report here on nutritional issues that affect the E&IA countries and that, not surprisingly, are similar to those affecting EU-27 nations and other developed countries. The most obvious examples are nutritional excesses such as high energy, salt or fat intake but several countries also reported micronutrient deficiencies, e.g. Vitamin D or iron. While there are many actions already in place to promote healthy and sustainable eating at all levels, from European to local level, the fact that nutrition challenges like obesity still prevail indicates that there is a need to further refine and improve these actions. Focused and targeted research is needed both on the effectiveness of particular measures or interventions as well as on how to best implement them. The participants of the workshop identified four areas where further research is required to successfully refine and improve obesity-targeting measures in a way that is based on scientific methodologies and conclusive results. These four areas are 1) Address limitations commonly found in nutrition and lifestyle interventions and trials 2) Assess the effectiveness of obesity childhood interventions 3) Research further on reduction of portion size as a means to limit caloric intake 4) Explore and identify effective means to translating obesity research findings into actions and policies. It was not the aim of the workshop nor of this report to propose these as four priorities for research but rather to alert to the gaps in these areas and present them as four possible directions where research efforts could converge.JRC.I.5 - Systems Toxicolog

Country profiles on national school food policies across the EU28 plus Norway and Switzerland

In light of the growing childhood obesity epidemic, the European Commission and Member States have developed the EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity 2014-2020. Supporting its implementation, the JRC has been facilitating knowledge exchange by mapping national school food policies and fostering stakeholder dialogue. To provide further insight into the various school food policies in place across Europe, the JRC has produced country factsheets that answer questions such as: what are the common objectives of school food policies in Europe? Which nutrient-based standards are used for lunch-time meals? Which countries restrict food marketing in schools, and how? Country by country, the factsheets give details about policy objectives, evaluation measures, food- and nutrient-based standards or guidelines, restrictions on vending services and food marketing in schools, and whether food and nutrition education is a mandatory part of the national curriculum. The information is complemented by key figures on population size and the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in different age groups.JRC.F.1-Health in Societ

Trans fatty acids in Europe: where do we stand?

Trans fatty acids (TFA) are a particular type of unsaturated fatty acid. They are naturally present in food products made from ruminant animals such as dairy and meat from cattle, sheep or goat (naturally occurring ruminant TFA or rTFA) but can also be produced industrially (TFA of industrial origin or iTFA). Consumption of TFA is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) states that ‘TFA intakes should be as low as is possible within the context of a nutritionally adequate diet'. Denmark was the first country to adopt legislation limiting the content of TFA in foods in 2003. Since 2003, Switzerland (2008), Austria (2009), Iceland (2011), Hungary (2013) and Norway (2014) have legislation in place and now also limit the content of TFA in foodstuffs. EU legislation does not regulate the content of TFA in foodstuffs nor does it require its labelling.The European Parliament and the Council have however requested as part of the recent Regulation (EC) No1169/11 on the provision of food information to consumers that the European Commission (EC) reports on ‘the presence of trans fats in foods and in the overall diet of the Union population’. It is expected that the results can inform further decisions on introducing, at European level, ‘appropriate means that could enable consumers to make healthier food and overall dietary choices or that could promote the provision of healthier food options to consumers, including, among others, the provision of information on trans fats to consumers or restrictions on their use’. This report is a first step in addressing this request. The analysis of the most recent publicly available data confirms reported reduction of TFA in foods but also shows that there are still a number of foods with high levels of TFA (above 2g TFA per 100g of fat) in some European food markets. Results from dietary surveys also indicate that although the overall population TFA intake is below the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended maximum of 1 E% there are subpopulations exceeding the recommended threshold. As long as products with high TFA content remain in the food market, it is possible that individuals may consume more than the recommended maximum. As it stands, there appears to be room for improvement of the European situation as regards the presence of iTFA in foodstuffs.JRC.I.2-Public Health Policy Suppor

Mapping of National School Food Policies across the EU28 plus Norway and Switzerland

Background: With childhood obesity prevalence on the rise in many European countries, schools may serve as a protected environment for children to learn healthy diet and lifestyle habits. Policy makers, educators and researchers would benefit from a comprehensive overview of European school food policies. Methods: We screened public databases, EU level reports, national ministerial websites and the scientific literature to collate official school food policies across Europe. Member States representatives checked that all appropriate documents (total of 34 policies) had been identified and referenced, and they reviewed and confirmed the extracted data. Results: Mandatory standards are defined in 18 of the policies (53%), the remainder offering voluntary guidelines. Top 3 policy aims are to improve child nutrition (97%), teach healthy dietary/lifestyle habits (94%) and reduce/prevent obesity (88%). Variations mainly relate to the types of meals targeted (e.g. lunch, breakfast, snack, dinner); whether standards/recommendations are nutrient- and/or food-based; and if vending machines and the wider food environment (kiosks near schools, packed lunches from home, etc.) are considered. Conclusion: We provide an up-to-date overview of European school food policies. The next step will be to assess the need and feasibility for developing best practice guidelines for school food policies in Europe, bearing in mind cultural and structural differences between countries.JRC.I.2-Public Health Policy Suppor

Delivering on EU Food Safety and Nutrition in 2050 - Future challenges and policy preparedness

The foresight study 'Delivering on EU food safety and nutrition in 2050 - future challenges and policy preparedness' aims to aid policy makers in their assessment of the resilience of the current food policy and regulatory framework with a time horizon to 2050, contributing to ensuring that EU citizens continue to enjoy high standards of safe, nutritious and affordable food. The study employed the methodology of scenario development. The scenarios were constructed based on different developments of specific drivers that can significantly impact and bring change to the food system; these are global trade, EU economic growth, agro-food chain structure, technology uptake, social cohesion, food values, climate change, depletion of natural resources and world population growth. For each scenario, a number of food safety and nutrition challenges were identified and prioritised based on their importance and likelihood to occur. On this basis, scenario-specific policy options were developed as suggestions to policy-makers on how to address these challenges to ensure the resilience of the future EU food safety and nutrition regulatory framework. Research needs were also identified to complement the proposed policy options, as well as a set of food-chain related indicators that could inform in advance if the EU is headed towards one of the study’s scenarios.JRC.F-Health, Consumers and Reference Materials (Geel

Overview of the food chain system and the European regulatory framework in the fields of food safety and nutrition

To ensure the highest standards of food safety in the European Union and avoid barriers to internal trade, harmonised food legislation is implemented across all steps of the food and feed chain. However, recent crises have revealed certain vulnerabilities that can compromise these high food safety standards. At the same time, public health measures must address malnutrition to protect the health and wellbeing of EU citizens from chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer. To preserve the functioning of the food system towards the production of safe and nutritious food for healthy populations also in the future, policy must be able to respond to unforeseen disruptive developments. This may only be achieved through preparedness and through proactive rather than reactive policy-making initiatives. The aim of this report is to provide an overview of the current food safety and nutrition regulatory and policy framework in Europe up to 2014, identifying all the documents that are necessary for the implementation of food legislation. The legal acts are presented in this report following the flow of raw materials and food products through a model of the food chain. The main legal text(s) in each step of this chain were identified and briefly summarised. All legislation that is directly related to these main texts and provides additional implementation information was also identified and linked to the main texts in legislation maps. A detailed description of these legal acts in each field is included in the Annexes to the report.JRC.F.4-Fraud Detection and Preventio

Tomorrow's healthy society - Research priorities for foods and diets

Health promotion and disease prevention through provision and consumption of healthy diets are increasingly recognised as crucial, both socially and economically, in the face of strained healthcare systems, an ageing population, and the high individual and economic costs of diseases.The Foresight study ‘Tomorrow's healthy society – research priorities for foods and diets’ was initiated to inform the selection of research challenges to receive funding under the Horizon 2020 programme. The exploratory scenario-building approach focused on the European consumer with the year 2050 as a long-term time horizon. Four different future scenarios were developed using the extremes of two main drivers – agricultural commodity prices (low or high) and societal values (community spirit or individualistic society). The scenarios provided the basis for the identification and prioritisation of research needs to address the challenges and opportunities arising from the different scenarios. The resulting ten research priorities fall into four thematic areas: Towards healthier eating: integrated policy-making; Food, nutrients and health: cross-interactions and emerging risks; Making individualised diets a reality; and Shaping and coping with the 2050 food system.JRC.DDG.02-Foresight and Behavioural Insight