- 23 August 2024
Ageing: the role of nutrition
HOSTED BY DOCTORS FOR NUTRITION
Despite the fact that Australians and New Zealanders are generally living longer lives, many are not increasing their ‘healthspan’, that is the period of life spent in good health. Cardiovascular disease remains a major health concern with a greater impact on older persons. Multimorbidity affects more than half of older persons. The number of elderly Australians is expected to rise, reaching an estimated 8.8 million by the year 2057.
The Standard Australian Diet rates high on the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) due to the high intake of saturated fat and cholesterol from animal products and processed foods. An inflammatory diet is linked with chronic disease, faster ageing, the development of frailty and Alzheimer’s Disease. Conversely, a diet centred around whole plant foods, containing fibre, phytonutrients and antioxidants, is very anti-inflammatory. As ageing can be thought of as an inflammatory disease, a whole food plant-based diet can help mitigate the onset of age-related diseases.
With currently more than one in three general practice encounters being people aged 65 or older, the pressure on our healthcare system will only continue to rise.

This webinar provides attendees with vital information on how an eating pattern focussed on unprocessed, whole plant foods can help patients to prevent, reduce and manage age-related diseases and multimorbidity. Healthcare professionals can then use this knowledge to provide effective care and make recommendations regarding diet and lifestyle modifications for their ageing patients.
By the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:
- Describe two pathophysiological processes contributing to age-related disease.
- Identify at least three features of an eating pattern that can be beneficial for increasing longevity.
- Name tools and techniques to support patients to transition to a whole food plant-based diet to increase their lifespan
Following a recorded presentation is a Q&A with Dr Greger.
Speaker
A founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Michael Greger, MD, is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition. He has videos on more than 2,000 health topics freely available at NutritionFacts.org, with new videos and articles uploaded almost every day. Dr. Greger has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, testified before Congress, and was invited as an expert witness in the defense of Oprah Winfrey in the infamous “meat defamation” trial. He is a graduate of Cornell University School of Agriculture and Tufts University School of Medicine. Three of his recent books— How Not to Die (with over a million copies sold), the How Not to Die Cookbook, and How Not to Diet all became instant New York Times Best Sellers. His latest two books, How to Survive a Pandemic and the How Not to Diet Cookbook, were released in 2020. All proceeds he receives from the sales of his books go to charity.
CPD hours
This activity is approved for:
- 3 CPD hours (Educational Activities) with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)
- 3 PDP hours with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM)
- 3 CME hours with the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM) toward the Lifestyle Medicine Maintenance of Certification (MOC).
CPD hours will be awarded upon viewing the webinar, completing a short quiz and reviewing two brief accompanying papers.
Access
Given the digital nature and immediate accessibility of our on-demand webinars, all associated fees are non-refundable. Paid members will be able to access the webinar recordings for free. Please see our refund policy here.