AGING

The issue and the proportion of people over 60 years of age is growing in virtually all countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2025, the estimated issue number of older people worldwide will reach 1.2 billion, with approximately 840 million in low-income countries. Population aging is therefore considered a social, health and economic challenge core topic. In Europe, the population over 65 years of age is around 17.4% and is expected to reach almost 30% by 2060. Currently, in Navarre, the over-64s already account for around 19% of the population. It is therefore necessary to promote healthy and active aging, allowing the population to age with maximum functional capacity, health and quality of life.

Given the biological complexity of the ageing process, and the inter-individual variability (chronological age is not always associated with biological age), there are no effective tools to assess healthy ageing at the individual or population level. There is therefore a growing interest in identifying biomarkers to establish the key characteristics/mechanisms of healthy ageing.

Aging is a phenomenon characterized by a chronic inflammatory state of low Degree, commonly called inflammaging, which is considered a risk factor for the development of most age-related diseases and therefore for morbidity and mortality in the elderly. On the other hand, obesity and unhealthy nutrition favor the development of a chronic inflammaging state, so in adulthood obesity could accelerate and potentiate the inflammation that occurs during aging. This inflammation could affect the length of telomeres, shortening them and could accelerate the aging process. Moreover, inflammation at the gut level could also affect the composition of the microbiota, and there is evidence that the microbiota has an enormous impact on health. In fact, it has been suggested that alterations in the composition of the microbiota that occur with age are linked to a greater predisposition to develop metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, and even neurocognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease.

Therefore, the present project aims to carry out an integrated study to characterize changes in microbiota composition, telomere length and relevant metabolic markers such as FGF21 and other age-related inflammatory factors, and how obesity could aggravate these changes, and in contrast, how the internship of physical exercise could attenuate them favoring healthy aging. We will carry out programs of study both in animal models of obesity and aging and in samples of overweight/obese postmenopausal women, a stage especially susceptible to development of metabolic complications associated with aging and obesity.

The present project will allow the identification of biomarkers of aging risk that will enable personalized dietary and lifestyle strategies for promote healthy aging. And it could allow a future development of diagnostic/prognostic kits. Therefore, the proposed project is considered to have a relevant impact at the health and social level and also for the industrial sector (food, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals).