WHO spotlights nutrition for maintaining vitality during “Decade of Healthy Ageing” 2021-2030

18 Dec 2020 --- At least 14 percent of all people aged 60 years and over ̶ more than 142 million people ̶ cannot currently meet their basic daily needs.

To combat poor health and low energy in silver years, the World Health Organization (WHO) sharpens its focus on nutrition as one of the key factors in maintaining vitality. It also spotlights the importance of warding off non-communicable diseases in older age, which nutrition can help address in some cases. 

According to the Baseline report for the Decade of Healthy Ageing, released by the World Health Organization (WHO), older people’s functional ability needs to be optimized, grounded in the concept of healthy aging, a “rights-based response to population aging.”

“Humans now live longer than at any time in history. But adding more years to life can be a mixed blessing if it is not accompanied by adding more life to years,” says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general.

The report aims to transform the way policymakers and various service-providers engage with older adults. “We have to work together to foster the abilities and well-being of our older generations, who continue to give us so much,” Ghebreyesus notes.

Next year marks the beginning of WHO’s “Decade of Healthy Ageing.” With its goal to optimize “functional ability,” it addresses five interrelated abilities that all older people should enjoy: 

• Meeting basic needs.
• Continuously learning and making decisions.
• Remaining mobile.
• Building and maintaining relationships.
• Contributing to society.

“Adding more years to life can be a mixed blessing if it is not accompanied by adding more life to years.”Triple billion goals
By 2030, WHO aspires to fulfill its “Triple Billion” goals: have one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage, protected from health emergencies and enjoying better health and well-being.

Nutrition is one of the key factors in maintaining vitality in older age. Sensory impairments, such as a decreased sense of taste and smell, poor oral health, isolation, loneliness and depression – individually or in combination – can increase the risk of malnutrition in older people.

To do so, the public and private sectors will need to learn from disease programs – particularly approaches addressing non-communicable diseases among older people. 

Consumers are more prone to develop obesity and diabetes, for example, if they do not learn to balance a high-sugar, high-carb diet with enough dietary vitamins and nutrients.

Homecare can also ensure that older persons can age in place while their basic needs, including nutrition, are met.

Overall, healthy aging requires person-centered integrated care that focuses on people’s capacities and disease management that reflects personal goals, as reflected in Innova Market Insights’ top ranking personalized nutrition trend for 2021.

Recording progress
The report also aims to align global, national and local policies on healthy aging with and for older people. To date, comparable data on healthy aging progress across the globe is still lacking.

The report aims to measure international progress toward healthy aging throughout the “Decade of Healthy Ageing.”“[More data] will enable us to determine clearly the level of progress being made and identify areas where additional attention is needed,” notes WHO.

Only one-quarter of countries worldwide are compiling comparable data that can be used to monitor global progress toward healthy aging. 

These include knowledge management and health insurance policies made for and with older persons in Chile, China, Finland, Ghana, India, Qatar, Singapore and Thailand.

The report looks to enhance cooperation in international policy implications, increasing data interoperability and harmonizing standards to share and analyze data.

WHO has a mandate to track progress in 2023, 2026, 2029 and 2030 at both national and subnational levels to ensure that “no older person is left behind.”

Healthy aging market
The nutrition industry continues to position healthy aging as a holistic approach to maintaining overall health and well-being.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to the weaker immune systems of elderly people, leading younger consumers to reassess their long-term health goals.

An Innova Market Insights survey reveals that seven out of ten consumers have made changes across the past year to improve their health. These changes were not just for physical health but also focused on balancing physical, mental and emotional aspects. 

Healthy aging was also a key discussion topic at Vitafoods Virtual Expo 2020. Healthy aging is a fast-growing segment, viewed as a means of taking a preventative approach to investing in “vital senior years.”

Nutritional interpretations of this are various; some examples include undenatured collagen addressing joint health and mobility, botanical synergies for bone health and milk protein powder to support muscle and cognitive function. 

Edited by Anni Schleicher