Starting down the right path: nutrition connections with chronic diseases of later life.

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 aging of the population alone has already increased health care costs, and as we move toward even longer lives, these costs will likely increase even more. Therefore, establishing and safeguarding optimal health from early life must become increasingly important concerns for governments and health care providers if they are to allocate resources wisely and ensure and maintain a high quality of life in the population. A prevention-oriented, life cycle approach is critical to establishing and maintaining health throughout life. This approach can delay and compress morbidity and the social toll associated with chronic disease and disability for as long as possible into old age. Good evidence exists that early nutrition affects key risk factors for chronic degenerative diseases of middle and later life, such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. 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.