Population ageing is a global phenomenon, with over 1.2 billion people worldwide aged 60 years and older, including 833 million aged 65 years and above. As populations age, older people increasingly face a range of physiological, psychological, social, and economic challenges. Many of these challenges are compounded by health inequalities, limited understanding of ageing-related conditions, and healthcare systems that are not yet fully equipped to meet the complex and evolving needs of older populations.
The International Day of Older Persons, observed annually on 1 October, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1990 to recognize the valuable contributions of older people and raise awareness of issues associated with aging. In this BMC Series awareness blog, we highlight recent publications from BMC Series journals. Through these articles, we aim to raise awareness of ageing-related challenges and support efforts to promote healthier, more equitable, and fulfilling lives for older people worldwide.
Muscle Health in older people and strategies for improvement (Featured articles from BMC Nutrition)
Aging is accompanied by numerous physiological changes, including a gradual decline in muscle health. Older adults often experience a progressive loss of muscle mass, strength, and physical function, a condition known as sarcopenia, while the decline in muscle strength alone is referred to as dynapenia.
A study published that looked at the muscle-related conditions among adults aged 65 years and older and found that 83% were at higher sarcopenia risk. Most participants also exhibited nutritional concerns, with 62-67% at nutritional risk and 26-33% classified as malnourished. The study further reported that dynapenia was more common among older women. Both sarcopenia and dynapenia were strongly associated with poor nutritional status.
Another study investigating the relationship between dietary acid load and sarcopenia in 82 older adults found that a more acidogenic diet was associated with a higher prevalence of sarcopenia, highlighting the influence of dietary patterns on muscle health.
Although some decline in muscle health is a natural consequence of ageing, poor nutrition accelerates this process. As sarcopenia is associated with increased risk of falls, fractures, frailty, disability, and even mortality, maintaining adequate nutrition intake is essential for preserving muscle health and healthy aging.
One of the studies mentioned above found that frequent consumption of protein rich foods was associated with better muscle health, with daily intake providing greater benefits than weekly consumption. In contrast, no clear association was observed between sarcopenia risk and foods such as bread, grains, fruits, vegetables, and sweets. Another study involving 219 older people reported that daily consumption of 15g high-cacao chocolate increased soft lean mass, skeletal muscle index, fat-free mass, and skeletal muscle mass, although it didn’t significantly improve in physical function.
Poor nutritional status is also common among older adults living with chronic health conditions, particularly women. A study of 212 older individuals found substantially higher rate of nutritional risk (76%) or malnutrition (73%) among women with Parkinson disease, approximately 3-fold higher than in men. Malnourished individuals were more likely to experience comorbidities, including metabolic disease and orthostatic hypotension.
In addition to food-based strategies, nutritional supplementation may help older people meet their nutritional requirements. A systematic study found that oral nutrition supplements improved body weight, grip strength, and gait speed, suggesting benefits for both nutritional status and physical function among older people without complex medical conditions.
Overall, current evidence highlights the critical role of adequate nutrition in maintaining muscle health during aging. Both targeted dietary approaches and nutritional supplementation may help reduce the risk of sarcopenia and support healthy, independent living in later life.
Women face distinct health challenges in later life (Featured articles from BMC Women’s Health)
Among older women, common age-related health conditions include cardiovascular disease, cancer, arthritis, and neurovegetative diseases. While many health challenges affect both sexes, women experience unique risks related to biological, hormonal, and reproductive factors.
Gynecologic cancers (GCs), which affect the reproductive organs including the uterus, ovaries, cervix, vagina, and vulva, remains a major health concern for older women. Although a study reported that GCs are most frequently diagnosed in women aged 40-65 year (57% of cases), the disease burden remains substantial among those aged 65 years and older, particularly for endometrial and ovarian cancers. One reason for this is that, unlike cervical cancer, some GCs can be challenging to detect early and are often not diagnosed until they have reached an advanced stage. For example, a study on ovarian cancer found that more than 80% of patients aged 65 years and older were diagnosed with high-grade ovarian cancer. Treatment options for older patients with ovarian cancer can be limited, and the prognosis for those diagnosed with advanced stage is generally poorer. Notably, the overall survival of patients aged 75 years and older is around 16 months shorter than that of patients aged 65-74 years.
Breast cancer is another significant health challenge in later life. Although breast cancer can occur in both women and men, nearly 80% of cases occur in women. The incidence of breast cancer increases with age, while survival rates decrease. A previous study of 1064 women with breast cancer found that about one-quarter patients were aged 65 years and older. Evidence from another study suggest that older patients generally hold positive attitudes to mammography screening and recognize its benefits. The study found that women who undergo mammography screening are less likely to experience breast-cancer related mortality, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis in older patients. Despite these benefits, older women patients are more likely than their younger counterparts to be diagnosed at an advanced stage and to have more comorbidities, both of which can negatively affect treatment outcomes and survival.
Rheumatoid arthritis is another condition that disproportionately affects women. This chronic autoimmune disease causes progressive and irreversible joint damage and is also a more common autoimmune disease among women than men across all age groups. As previously reported, the age-specific incidence patterns of rheumatoid arthritis differ markable by sex. In men, rheumatoid arthritis incidence remains very low before the age of 35, increases steadily with age, and peaks at around 85 years. In women, however, incidence peaks at around 50 years of age and then gradually decline as reported in a study. This study also assessed the menopause pattern of 1,427 women patients and found that disease pattern may be associated with natural menopause, highlighting the potential role of hormonal changes in disease development and progression.
Transformative strategies to support an expanding older population (Featured articles from BMC Health Services Research)
Global population ageing is placing increasing pressure on healthcare and social care systems worldwide, prompting countries to explore innovative strategies to support healthy ageing.
A qualitative study conducted in Norway involving older people, healthcare professionals, and policymakers found that healthy ageing is increasingly viewed as a shared responsibility, with a strong emphasis on participation and ageing in place. However, they noted that growing individualization and rapid digitalization may widen existing inequities among older people. The findings highlight the effective transformation requires strong cross-sector collaboration, active community endowment, and integrated care. Together, these approaches are essential for promoting health equity and meeting the needs of ageing populations.
Similarly, a study examining Singapore’s primary healthcare reforms demonstrated how an ageing society can strengthen care delivery through integrated, community-based healthcare. They believe that achieving true health equity requires moving beyond healthcare services alone and fostering stronger community engagement, local empowerment, and cross-sector collaboration to address the broader social determinants of health.
Population ageing presents both opportunities and challenges for individuals, communities, and healthcare systems. Older people experience diverse health concerns that vary by age, sex, socioeconomic circumstances, and access to the care service. The highlights from this blog facilitate understanding these differences and promoting tailored prevention, treatment, and support strategies, thus contributing to healthy ageing worldwide.
This Post Support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3: Good Health and Well- being, SDG 5: Gender equality, and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, and the Springer Nature SDG Programme.
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge Lead Editors Didem Sanver, Zhilian Hu, and Vaishnavi Nimbalkar for providing the papers highlighted in this awareness blog.