Healthier ageing

Ageing is associated with a gradual decline in physical functioning with or without mental frailty. The ageing process is intrinsically complex, being driven by multiple causal mechanisms.1 2 Genome instability, telomere damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammation are established mechanisms of ageing.^{w1 w2} Age related changes in body composition include a relative increase in fat tissue and a gradual decline in muscle mass. Not everyone ages in the same way, however, and the term biological age is loosely used to indicate how well someone has aged in terms of the degree of decline in their physical functioning and their ability to meet physiological demands.3 4

Ageing is determined by complex interactions between biological, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural factors,^w3 some of which are beyond the control of individuals. Factors that may contribute to the ageing process, such as poor nutrition,^w4 physical inactivity, smoking, and psychosocial characteristics (such as stress),^w5 may be modifiable. These factors are associated with the development of chronic diseases that are, in themselves, associated with physical and mental frailty and could be tackled at an individual level throughout life. Considerable geographic variation in the prevalence of major …