Publications by authors named "Lisette De Groot"

Background: The lifestyle intervention ProMuscle, which combines resistance exercise and an increased protein intake, was effective in improving muscle strength, muscle mass, and physical functioning in older adults. However, due to a growing shortage of health care professionals, the rapidly growing aging population cannot be personally guided in the future. Therefore, Uni2Move, a scalable web-based variant of ProMuscle, was designed to reach larger groups of older adults without putting additional burden on health care professionals.

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Background: Plant-based foods have reduced protein digestibility and frequently display unbalanced amino acid profiles. Plant-based foods are therefore considered inferior to animal-based foods in their anabolic potential. No study has assessed the anabolic potential of a vegan diet that provides a large variety of plant-based protein sources in older adults.

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Objective: Plant-based diets (PBD) are generally promoted as beneficial for health. However, whether this is also the case at older ages, when energy deficits, muscle loss and frailty affect health, is unclear. Research has shown that among older adults, particularly in men, a healthful PBD is associated with a lower frailty risk.

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Background: The global shift toward plant-based diets has been increasing, with more people making the transition for various reasons. In vulnerable subgroups such as older adults, the transition to plant-based diets deserves attention due to the potentially detrimental consequences of lower protein quantity and quality.

Objective: We aimed to develop a digital tool that ensures adequate protein quality in plant-based meals for older adults experiencing low protein intake through an interdisciplinary collaboration and user engagement with potential end users.

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The PROtein-enriched MEDiterranean diet to combat undernutrition and promote healthy neuroCOGnitive ageing in older adults (PROMED-COG) is a European project that investigates the role of nutritional status on neurocognitive ageing. This methodological paper describes the harmonization process of dietary data from four Italian observational studies (Pro.V.

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The Mediterranean-Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet is a dietary pattern designed to prevent cognitive decline. Dietary adherence is assessed with the MIND diet scoring system, which is currently based on the American diet and serving sizes. It is known that serving sizes and consumed food products differ between countries.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines how gut health markers vary within the same individuals over time, highlighting that this variability is not well understood despite advancements in gut health research.
  • A total of ten healthy adults provided faecal samples across three consecutive days, resulting in specific variability percentages for different gut health markers, revealing significant differences in consistency and bacterial counts.
  • An improved processing method, involving mill-homogenization of frozen faeces, decreased variability in certain markers without changing their average levels, suggesting that repeated sampling might be necessary for accurate gut health analysis.
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Background: The recent shift toward increased plant-based protein consumption has necessitated the development of new tools to evaluate the quality and quantity of protein in meals, especially given the changing dietary guidelines and the adoption of plant-centric menus in healthcare and other settings.

Objectives: To develop and test the feasibility of the meal protein quality score (MPQS), a novel metric that assesses the protein quality and quantity in meals based on essential amino acid (EAA) content, digestibility, and requirements, with a focus on optimizing protein intake for vulnerable populations, particularly older adults.

Methods: The MPQS integrates digestibility-adjusted EAA intake with total protein consumed in a meal, which, together with the EAA requirements, provides a score from 0 to 100 to reflect EAA coverage adequacy.

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Background & Aims: Undernutrition may negatively impact cognitive function, but evidence of this relationship is not yet consolidated. Under the "PROtein enriched MEDiterranean diet to combat undernutrition and promote healthy neuroCOGnitive ageing" (PROMED-COG) project, we evaluated the association between undernutrition, and cognitive decline and incident dementia in older adults.

Methods: Retrospective data harmonization was performed on three Italian population-based studies: the Italian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ILSA), the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.

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Article Synopsis
  • As people get older, age-related diseases are becoming more common, which puts pressure on healthcare systems, making it important to support healthy ageing.
  • Researchers looked at over 3,900 postmenopausal women to study how certain nutrients affect biological age using a tool called the PhenoAge epigenetic clock.
  • They found that eating more good nutrients like coumestrol and beta-carotene can slow down ageing, while too much sugar and certain fats can speed it up.
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Introduction: While observational research suggests a protective role for nutrition in brain aging, intervention studies remain inconclusive. This failing translation from observational to interventional research may result from overlooking nutrient interactions.

Methods: We developed a nutrient status index capturing the number of suboptimal statuses of omega-3 fatty acids, homocysteine, and vitamin D (range 0 to 3).

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Muscle and bone tissues are interconnected, and both rely on an adequate protein intake. Recommendations for protein intake for older adults specifically vary across countries. The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the existing evidence for protein recommendations for supporting muscle and bone health in older adults and to evaluate if a protein intake above the current population reference intake (PRI) for older adults would be scientifically justified.

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Plant-based diets (PBD) may offer various health benefits and contribute to a sustainable way of life, but, if not planned correctly, may also confer risks, e.g., by focusing on plant foods with low nutrient density, such as foods primarily consisting of refined carbohydrates.

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Background: Heterogeneity in ageing rates drives the need for research into lifestyle secrets of successful agers. Biological age, predicted by epigenetic clocks, has been shown to be a more reliable measure of ageing than chronological age. Dietary habits are known to affect the ageing process.

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Background: The EAT-Lancet commission has proposed a dietary pattern that is both sustainable and healthy. However, the impact of this diet on cognition in older adults remains unexplored. Therefore, we examined the association between adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet and cognitive ageing.

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Introduction: Data on the prevalence of malnutrition and nutrient intakes among Indonesian older adults in institutionalized care setting are scattered and scarce. Thus, we conducted a systematic review of published and gray literature to estimate (1) the prevalence of malnutrition, (2) the level and distribution of habitual energy and nutrient intakes, and (3) the prevalence of inadequacy of energy and nutrient intakes among hospitalized and institutionalized older adults in Indonesia.

Methods: This systematic review was written following the PRISMA 2020 checklist.

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Plant-derived proteins are generally believed to possess lesser anabolic properties when compared with animal-derived proteins. This is, at least partly, attributed to the lower leucine content of most plant-derived proteins. Corn protein has a leucine content that is highest among most plant-derived proteins and it even exceeds the levels observed in animal-derived proteins such as whey protein.

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The Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet seems a promising approach to preserve brain function during aging. Previous systematic reviews have demonstrated benefits of the MIND diet for cognition and dementia, though an update is needed. Additionally, other outcomes relevant to brain aging have not been summarized.

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Purpose: Plant-derived proteins have received considerable attention as an alternative to animal-derived proteins. However, plant-derived proteins are considered to have less anabolic properties when compared with animal-derived proteins. The lower muscle protein synthesis rates following ingestion of plant- compared with animal-derived protein have been attributed to the lower essential amino acid content of plant-derived proteins and/or their specific amino acid deficiencies.

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Background: Mushrooms are rich in fiber and vitamins B and vitamin D when exposed to UV light and are sometimes used as a meat substitute. A modeling study showed that adding a mushroom portion (84 g/d) to the diet of an American population caused a significant improvement in the intake of several nutrients.

Objective: To study the association between habitual intake of mushrooms and nutrient intake and to assess the change in micronutrient intake with the modeled addition of 60 or 84 grams of UV-exposed mushrooms to the diet of the Dutch population, with a subanalysis on subjects with a low animal: plant protein ratio.

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Aim: Few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been conducted for severe forms of periodontitis (stage III/IV grade C), and the number of known risk genes is scarce. To identify further genetic risk variants to improve the understanding of the disease aetiology, a GWAS meta-analysis in cases with a diagnosis at ≤35 years of age was performed.

Materials And Methods: Genotypes from German, Dutch and Spanish GWAS studies of III/IV-C periodontitis diagnosed at age ≤35 years were imputed using TopMed.

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Background: Plant-derived proteins are considered to have fewer anabolic properties when compared with animal-derived proteins. The anabolic properties of isolated proteins do not necessarily reflect the anabolic response to the ingestion of whole foods. The presence or absence of the various components that constitute the whole-food matrix can strongly impact protein digestion and amino acid absorption and, as such, modulate postprandial muscle protein synthesis rates.

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Introduction: Studies suggest a role of vitamin D in the progression and symptomatology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), with few in vitro studies pointing to effects on serotonergic and amyloidogenic turnover. However, limited data exist in AD patients on the potential association with cognition and behavioral and psychological signs and symptoms of dementia (BPSD). In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we, therefore, explored potential correlations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) concentrations, indicative of vitamin D status, with serum serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) levels, cognitive/BPSD scorings, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker levels.

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Nutritional intervention studies in older adults with malnutrition aim to improve nutritional status. Although these studies show a significant gain in body weight, there is inconsistent evidence of clinical effectiveness on muscle strength and mortality. This study aimed to examine the effects of nutritional interventions on muscle strength and risk of mortality in older adults (malnourished or at risk) and explore whether these effects are influenced by participant characteristics.

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Purpose: While the benefits of adopting a more plant-based diet for sustainability and animal welfare are clear, its long-term health impacts, including the impact on cognitive ageing, are limited studied. Therefore, we investigated the associations between plant-based diet adherence and cognitive ageing.

Methods: Data from a previous intervention study involving community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 65 years were analysed at baseline (n = 658) and after 2-year follow-up (n = 314).

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