{"id":13631,"date":"2020-12-07T11:56:17","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T09:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.univie.ac.at\/?p=13631"},"modified":"2020-12-07T11:56:17","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T09:56:17","slug":"our-greying-world-and-how-to-make-sure-it-ages-with-dignity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.univie.ac.at\/en\/research\/our-greying-world-and-how-to-make-sure-it-ages-with-dignity\/","title":{"rendered":"Our \u201cgreying\u201d world and how to make sure it ages with dignity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our “greying world”: In her blogpost Reynalda Cordova, doctoral student at the department of Nutritional Sciences<\/a>,\u00a0addresses the connection between the way we eat and cancer risk, or potential cancer development pathways in terms of aging.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the good news; population aging is one of humanity\u2019s greatest achievements. The bad news is it causes at the same time enormous challenges for us.<\/p>\n

All over the world, the older population is currently growing at an accelerating rate. Right now, for the first time in history, the majority of people can expect to live into their sixties and beyond. By 2050, there will be two billion people over the age of 60 in our world (see figure 1), and 80% of them will live in low-and middle-income countries.<\/p>\n

\"active<\/a>
Figure 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To experience aging as a positive development, it has to be accompanied by supporting good health and providing opportunities for participation and security. These key points can be summarized by the term \u201cactive aging\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What is active aging?<\/h2>\n

The term “active” emphasizes the importance of obtaining self-determination<\/strong> throughout the life course. It is much more than just the lack of physical disabilities, even though it is an important part of it. The overall goal is to remain being an active contributor to society, family, and peers, while having suitable protection, care and security, if needed.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget: yesterday\u2019s child is today\u2019s adult and tomorrow\u2019s senior.<\/h4>\n

That means, actions that create a supportive environment and promote healthy choices are crucial at all stages of life. As we age, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)<\/strong> become our biggest enemy by representing the leading causes<\/strong> of morbidity, disability and mortality in all regions over the world.<\/p>\n

What are NCDs?<\/h2>\n

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are chronic health conditions which are not passed from one person to another compared to infection diseases.<\/p>\n

The risk of developing NCDs increase with advancing age; nevertheless, all age groups as well as regions and countries are affected by NCDs.<\/p>\n

There are 4 main types of NCDs:<\/p>\n