Project 455011

In 2019, Health Canada updated Canada's food guide (CFG). Changes to CFG have been well received by the public and healthcare professionals. However, concerns have been raised. On the one hand, the new CFG's recommendations are more flexible. Recommendations are universal, non-prescriptive, and aim at behaviors (e.g., "eat more often of ..."). On the other hand, this greater flexibility may be hard to implement, which may prevent individuals from meeting their nutritional needs. Maintaining optimal nutritional status is very important for older adults to maintain good physical and cognitive functions. In older adults, low intakes of vitamins, minerals and proteins can lead to frailty and increase health risks. It is therefore urgent to verify whether the flexible and universal recommendations of CFG-2019 are appropriate in older adults. Our research aims to estimate: 1) the impact of adherence to CFG-2019 recommendations on cardiovascular, cognitive and muscle health; 2) which foods make it possible to overcome any limitations identified or to further optimize health. We will use data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Aging (NuAge). This unique study of more than 1,700 older adults includes many measures of health, such as blood lipids, muscle mass and strength. The high quality of the data will help to isolate, as much as possible, the health effect of adhering to CFG-2019 recommendations. From the NuAge study, we will investigate which foods should be consumed to address the potential limitations of current recommendations and to further optimize health. Our research will help to refine dietary recommendations and provide information on foods that can optimize the health of older adults, to live long healthy lives.