Nuno Mendonça

Universidade NOVA de Lisboa | NOVA · NOVA Medical School

Background Folate and vitamin B12 are key to the correct functioning of one-carbon (1-C) metabolism. The current evidence on associations between 1-C metabolism biomarkers and mortality is inconclusive and generally based on younger or institutionalised populations. This study aimed to determine the associations between biomarkers of 1-C metabolism...

The population of older adults aged 85 years and over (the very old) is growing rapidly in many societies because of increases in life expectancy and reduced mortality at older ages. In 2016, 27.3 million very old adults were living in the European Union, and in the UK, 2.4% of the population (1.6 million) were aged 85 and over. Very old age is ass...

Objectives To determine whether protein intake is associated with better disability trajectories in the oldest adults (≥85) and whether muscle mass and muscle strength would partially mediate this. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Newcastle‐upon‐Tyne and North Tyneside, United Kingdom. Participants Community‐dwelling older adults aged 85...

Introduction Growth in the number of very old (≥ 85 years) adults will likely lead to increased prevalence of disability. Our aim was to determine the contribution of protein intake, and the interaction between protein intake and physical activity (PA), to the transition between disability states and to death in the very old using the Newcastle 85+...

Background Dietary protein may slow the decline in muscle mass and function with aging, making it a sensible candidate to prevent or modulate disability progression. At present, studies providing reliable estimates of the association between protein intake and physical function, and its interaction with physical activity (PA), in community-dwelling...

Introduction The population in Portugal is ageing due to increased life expectancy and reduced fertility rates. We aimed to estimate the health trajectories of Portuguese older adults (60 + years old) in a 10-year period and to assess associated sociodemographic, lifestyle factors and multimorbidity status. Methods Using the population-based EpiDo...

Aim: The objective of the current study was to examine whether physical activity and sedentary behavior were associated with appetite among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis was performed on three cohort studies: the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA); the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study (HABC Stu...

Background Malnutrition (i.e., protein-energy malnutrition) in older adults has severe negative clinical consequences, emphasizing the need for effective treatments. Many, often small, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing the effectiveness of nutritional interventions for the treatment of malnutrition showed mixed results and a need for meta...

Hip and knee osteoarthritis (HKOA) is a chronic disease characterized by joint pain that leads to reduced physical function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). At present, no cure is available. Clinical trials indicate that people with HKOA benefit from physical activity in several health-related outcomes. However, few studies have evaluate...

Background Malnutrition (i.e., protein-energy malnutrition) in older adults is associated with significant complications and increased mortality, highlighting the need for effective treatments. Many randomised controlled trials (RCTs) testing the effectiveness of nutritional interventions for the treatment of malnutrition showed mixed results and t...

Background and aim The kinetics of antibody production in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is not well-defined yet. This study aimed to evaluate the antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 and its dynamics during 9-months in a cohort of patients infected during the first phase of the pandemic. As a secondary aim, it was intended t...

Background The death of a partner is a critical life event in later life, which requires grief work as well as the development of a new perspective for the future. Cognitive behavioral web-based self-help interventions for coping with prolonged grief have established their efficacy in decreasing symptoms of grief, depression, and loneliness. Howeve...

Background Nutrition and particularly protein play a role in optimally stimulating muscle protein synthesis and maintaining function. Animal foods are excellent sources of high-quality protein. Therefore, we aimed to determine the association between the consumption of animal foods and mobility limitations in young-old adults. Methods The analytic...

Introduction: Higher dietary protein, alone or in combination with physical activity (PA), may slow the loss of age-related muscle strength in older adults. We investigated the longitudinal relationship between protein intake and grip strength, and the interaction between protein intake and PA, using four longitudinal ageing cohorts. Methods: In...

Abstract Background Obesity leads to poor health outcomes and may adversely affect work productivity. This study, aimed to investigate the obesity- attributable costs of absenteeism among working adults in Portugal. Methods The study population included individuals actively working at baseline from the Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases Cohort (EpiDo...

The Mediterranean diet (MD) is recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns as it has been consistently associated with several beneficial health outcomes. Adherence to the MD pattern has been decreasing in southern European countries for the last decades, especially among low socioeconomic groups. The aim of this study was to assess the ad...

Purpose To conduct a scoping review to provide a systematic overview of outcomes used in nutritional intervention studies focused on the treatment of protein-energy malnutrition in older adults. Methods A systematic search of four electronic databases (Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was perform...

(1) Introduction: vitamin D may maintain the telomere length, either directly or via the inflammation effect and/or modulating the rate of cell proliferation. Whilst results from cross-sectional studies investigating the association between 25(OH)D concentration and telomere length have been mixed, there is a dearth of data from prospective studies...

Adequate nutritional status may influence progression to frailty. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of frailty and examine the relationship between dietary protein intake and the transition between frailty states and mortality in advanced age. We used data from a longitudinal cohort study of Māori (80–90 years) and non-Māori...

Physical activity and protein intake are associated with ageing-related outcomes, including loss of muscle strength and functional decline, so may contribute to strategies to improve healthy ageing. We investigated the cross-sectional associations between physical activity or sedentary behaviour and protein intake patterns in community-dwelling old...

Frailty is a syndrome of growing importance given the global ageing population. While frailty is a multifactorial process, poor nutritional status is considered a key contributor to its pathophysiology. As nutrition is a modifiable risk factor for frailty, strategies to prevent and treat frailty should consider dietary change. Observational evidenc...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Modifiable factors delaying frailty progression are important in demographic ageing; health disparities for indigenous people require specific strategies. Does dietary protein intake impact transitions in frailty in Maori (indigenous) and non-Maori aged 80+ in New Zealand? LiLACS NZ is population based longitudinal cohorts of Maori aged 80-90 years...

Background A number of studies have indicated a beneficial effect of tea consumption on the reduction of risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in older aged populations. However, there is a paucity of data on these associations in the very old, defined as individuals aged 85 years and over. We investigated the relationship between tea consumpti...

Background: Low vitamin D status is common in very old adults which may have adverse consequences for muscle function, a major predictor of disability. Aims: To explore the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and disability trajectories in very old adults and to determine whether there is an 'adequate' 25(OH)D concentra...

Background: Selenium is a trace element essential for health. Severe selenium deficiencies are associated with poor musculoskeletal (MSK) function. However, the effects of moderate deficiency on MSK function, especially in older adults, is unclear. Objectives: To determine the associations between selenium intake and MSK function in very old adults...

Background Lower protein intake in older adults is associated with loss of muscle mass and strength. The present study aimed to provide a pooled estimate of the overall prevalence of protein intake below recommended (according to different cut‐off values) among community‐dwelling older adults, both within the general older population and within spe...

Both malnutrition (which here refers to undernutrition) and obesity are prevalent in older adults, but they are frequently seen as mutually exclusive. In fact, a low body mass index (BMI) is one of the aetiological diagnostic criteria for malnutrition. On the contrary, the concomitant presence of malnutrition and obesity has been less studied. The...

Selenium is an essential micronutrient with biochemical and cellular effects through activities of 25 selenocysteine-containing selenoproteins. Selenoproteins are anti-inflammatory and have antioxidant properties. Severe selenium deficiency causes muscle weakness and atrophy in humans however the effects of moderate selenium deficiency are unclear....

Background: Using Newcastle 85+ Study data, we investigated transitions between frailty states from age 85 to 90 years and whether multi-morbidities and socioeconomic status (SES) modify transitions. Methods: The Newcastle 85+ Study is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study of all people born in 1921 in Newcastle and North Tyneside. Data inclu...

Background A number of studies have indicated a beneficial effect of tea consumption on the reduction of risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in older aged populations. However, there is a paucity of data on these associations in the very old defined as individuals aged 85 years and over. We investigated the relationship between tea consumptio...

Background: A number of studies have indicated a beneficial effect of tea consumption on the reduction of risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in older aged populations. However, there is a paucity of data on these associations in the very old, defined as individuals aged 85 years and over. We investigated the relationship between tea consumpt...

Objectives: To examine the association of protein intake with frailty progression in very old adults. Design: The Newcastle 85+ study, a prospective longitudinal study of people aged 85 years old in Northeast England and followed over 5 years. Setting and participants: 668 community-dwelling older adults (59% women) at baseline, with complete...

Early-life socio-economic position (SEP), defined by education, remains a significant factor in disability progression in Innovation in Aging, 2019, Vol. 3, No. S1 225 GSA 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting very old age, but there is less evidence for its effect on frailty progression. We used the Newcastle 85+ Study, a longitudinal cohort of people bo...

Background: Sarcopenia, a progressive age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, leads to disability, falls, and hospitalisation. Individual variation in sarcopenia onset may be partly explained by lifestyle factors such as physical activity and diet. Healthy dietary patterns (DPs) have been linked to better physical functioning in old...

Supplementary Figure S1. Flowchart of recruitment and cohort retention profile of the Newcastle 85+ Study according to the sample used. Supplementary Figure S2. The 17 basic (BADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and mobility items used to derive the disability score. Supplementary Figure S3. Disability trajectories with 95% co...

Purpose: The very old (aged ≥ 85 years), fastest growing age group in most western societies, are at especially high risk of muscle mass and strength loss. The amount, sources and timing of protein intake may play important roles in the aetiology and management of sarcopenia. This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of low protein i...

Objective To characterise the nutritional status and to identify malnutrition-associated variables of older adults living in Portuguese nursing homes. Design Cross-sectional study. Data on demographic and socio-economic characteristics, self-reported morbidity, eating-related problems, nutritional status, cognitive function, depression symptoms, l...

Background: Low protein intake has been linked to reduced muscle strength and physical performance in older adults but little is known about how it may affect muscle health and subsequent functional decline in the very old (aged 85+), who are at enhanced risk of malnutrition and loss of muscle mass and strength. Aims: To investigate the associat...

Flowchart of the Newcastle 85+ Study. GP, general practitioner; vit., vitamin.

Linear decline in (A) global cognition (SMMSE), (B) focused attention (PoA), (C) sustained attention (CoA), and (D) RTV by quartiles of plasma vitamin B12 concentration. β estimates were derived from linear mixed models adjusted for alcohol intake, smoking status, APOE genotype (rs429358 and rs7412), sex, education, BMI, depression, hypertension, d...

Linear decline in (A) global cognition (SMMSE), (B) focused attention (PoA), (C) sustained attention (CoA), and (D) RTV by quartiles of RBC folate concentration. β estimates were derived from linear mixed models adjusted for alcohol intake, smoking status, APOE genotype (rs429358 and rs7412), sex, education, BMI, depression, hypertension, diabetes...

Linear decline in (A) global cognition (SMMSE), (B) focused attention (PoA), (C) sustained attention (CoA), and (D) RTV by quartiles of tHcy concentration. β estimates were derived from linear mixed models adjusted for alcohol intake, smoking status, APOE genotype (rs429358 and rs7412), sex, education, BMI, depression, hypertension, diabetes type 1...

Letter to the Editor

Objectives: Although the biological rationale for the association between folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine with cognitive function seems plausible, conflicting results have been reported. This study aimed to determine the associations between 1-carbon (1-C) metabolism biomarkers (folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine), and cognitive impairmen...

Teresa Madeira, Catarina Peixoto, Nuno Neto Santos, Osvaldo Santos, Violeta Alarcão, Paulo Nicola, Beatriz Goulao, Nuno Mendonca, Astrid Bergland, Asta Bye, Teresa Amaral, Carla Lopes, João Gorjão Clara

div class="title">Intakes of folate and vitamin B12 from total diets and from specific food groups and biomarkers of status in the very old - Volume 75 Issue OCE3 - N Mendonça, JC Mathers, AJ Adamson, C Martin-Ruiz, CJ Seal, C Jagger, TR Hill

Very old adults are at increased risk of folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies due to reduced food intake and gastrointestinal absorption. The main aim was to determine the association between folate and vitamin B12 intake from total diets and food groups, and status. Folate or vitamin B12 intakes (2 × 24 h multiple pass recalls) and red blood cell (...

Background: Worldwide we are facing a serious demographic challenge due to the dramatic growth of the population over 60 years. It is expected that the proportion of this population will nearly double from 12 to 22 %, between 2015 and 2050. This demographic shift comes with major health and socio-economic concerns. Nutrition is a fundamental deter...

A number of socio-economic, biological and lifestyle characteristics change with advancing age and place very old adults at increased risk of micronutrient deficiencies. The aim of this study was to assess vitamin and mineral intakes and respective food sources in 793 85-year-olds (302 men and 491 women) in the North-East of England, participating...

Very old people (referred to as those aged 85 years and over) are the fastest growing age segment of many Western societies owing to the steady rise of life expectancy and decrease in later life mortality. In the UK, there are now more than 1·5 million very old people (2·5 % of total population) and the number is projected to rise to 3·3 million or...

Food and nutrient intake data are scarce in very old adults (85 years and older) – one of the fastest growing age segments of Western societies, including the UK. Our primary objective was to assess energy and macronutrient intakes and respective food sources in 793 85-year-olds (302 men and 491 women) living in North-East England and participating...

Significance This study provides insights into the physiological role of Sel1L, an adaptor protein for the ubiquitin ligase Hrd1 in endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD). Using both animal and cell models, this study provides unequivocal evidence for an indispensable role of Sel1L in Hrd1 stabilization, mammalian ERAD, endoplasmic ret...