Alyssa Paoletti is a PhD candidate in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto. She obtained a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Toronto.
Remote speaker / Presenting virtually
The world is amid a demographic shift with an increase in the number of people over 60 years. Aging is associated with loss of muscle mass, increased oxidative stress, decreased immunity and a decline in the sensitivity to exogenous amino acids and changes in amino acid metabolism. This suggests that older adults have different amino acid requirements than young adults. However, current amino acid requirements are based on young adult data. There is also a global change to plant based proteins which are limiting in amino acids including the sulphur amino acids; methionine and cysteine. In order to understand how plant proteins can satisfy the elderly amino acid requirements, they must first be determined in this population. This presentation will focus on our group's recent restimate of the total sulphur amino acid requirement in healthy older adults. Our results will help to assess diet quality for older adults and how to best meet their needs on a plant-based diet. This is especially important given current Canadian Food Guide recommendations for increased plant protein consumption.