Nestlé and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) have launched a multi-year research partnership to advance the scientific understanding of how nutrition supports healthy longevity and women's health, two of Nestlé's key strategic growth priorities.
The partnership comes at a time when the pace of population aging is much faster than in the past. By 2030, one in six people in the world will be aged 60 years or older, according to World Health Organization data. Nestlé recently surveyed 9,000 consumers 40 years old and older and found that, as consumers reach midlife and beyond, they begin to prioritize elements such as energy levels, strength, quality sleep, as well as physical and mental recovery.
At the same time, global analyses show a growing gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, rising by 13% to 9.6 years in 2019, according to the JAMA Network. This means that many people spend around nine years in poor health later in life. This period, known as the health span-lifespan gap, is often marked by reduced mobility, cognitive decline, and a lower quality of life.
By combining Nestlé's global R&D expertise, including at its R&D Center in Singapore, with NTU's scientific expertise and research infrastructure, the collaboration will examine how targeted nutrition, dietary patterns and lifestyle factors can impact the biological processes linked to aging. The researchers will also build on the growing scientific evidence that targeted nutrition may help slow the pace of biological aging.
To support this work, NTU and Nestlé plan to establish a joint research lab in Singapore with shared facilities for data analysis and clinical studies. Research findings will be used to identify services and solutions that can improve health concerns linked to aging, such as metabolic health, mobility, and sleep, as well as the needs associated with menopause.
A key part of the research will use anonymized data from the Health for Life in Singapore (HELIOS) Study, one of Asia's largest population health studies. The study has gathered comprehensive lifestyle, biological, and health data from around 50,000 adults aged 21 to 84 over the last decade.
