The American journal of clinical nutrition
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Thirty years have been added to the average life expectancy of Americans over the past century. It is a reasonable expectation that Americans will achieve an average life span of > or =100 y within this century. The most dramatic decreases in early-life and midlife mortality coincided with advances in medicine; curative medicine has played a lesser role. ⋯ The influence of nutrition on health status and morbidity supports primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of disease and intervention strategies at each point in the process. The objective of such a prevention-oriented model is to enable people to live well for longer, while minimizing chronic disability. Starting down the right path with appropriate nutrition and staying on it by eating well are important components of healthy aging.
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Cachexia is common in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is thought to be linked to an enhanced systemic inflammatory response. ⋯ In COPD patients, who are characterized by an elevated systemic inflammatory response, cachexia is not discriminatory for the extent of increase in inflammatory status. This study, however, indicates a potential influence of genetic predisposition on the cachexia process.
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Most population studies have reported weak or nonsignificant associations between body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) and lung function. ⋯ Total body fat and central adiposity are inversely associated with lung function, but increased FFM reflecting increases in muscle mass is associated with increased lung function and lower odds of low FEV1:FVC in the elderly.
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The adverse effects of poor nutrition on the bones of young Asian women have not been fully elucidated. ⋯ Low calcium intake (based on low BMD of the femoral neck only) and mild hyperparathyroidism (based on low BMD of both the femoral neck and lumbar spine), partly explained by low vitamin D nutrition and a low calcium intake, are important predictors of low BMD in young Japanese women. Effects of poor nutrition and mild hyperparathyroidism on bone peak bone mass in young women should be further investigated in longitudinal studies.