The number of European seniors aged 70 and over is expected to increase by 40% in the next 20 years, while those aged 80 and over will more than double, causing a corresponding increase in the number of people suffering costly and age-related chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, heart and lung diseases and dementia. This expectation is the backbone of a soon-to-begin, multinational European study geared to evaluate the benefits of vitamin D3, omega 3s and home exercise on prevention of chronic diseases in the elderly.
 
Dubbed DO-HEALTH (Vitamin D3-Omega 3-Home Exercise-Healthy Aging and Longevity Trial), the study will be primarily focused on the effect of the study interventions on five key health indicators: risk of fractures, blood pressure, lower extremity function, cognitive function and rate of infections. In addition, other important aspects of senior health, such as falls and osteoarthritis, as well as blood biomarkers, will be investigated.
 
Given the potential for social and economic repercussions associated with treating chronic conditions on a rapidly growing European population segment, the researchers behind the study sought to examine measures that were safe, effective and affordable. The DO-HEALTH study will be Europe’s largest healthy aging study and is expected to provide solid evidence in supporting the efficacy and safety of the preventive interventions of vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acid supplementation in tandem with a simple home exercise program.

The study will measure several other important parameters, such as the severity of knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis, the ability to carry out daily life activities and the participants’ general quality of life.

“Various studies have shown that vitamin D and simple targeted exercise programs can significantly improve functional mobility and reduce falls and fractures in seniors, even by up to 30% [and] omega 3 provides significant health benefits to seniors,” commented Professor Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, director of the Centre on Aging and Mobility of Zurich University and DO-HEALTH principal investigator. “DO-HEALTH hopes to provide definitive evidence that the three interventions, alone or combined, are able to reduce the number of fractures, the functional and cognitive decline, the risk of hypertension and the risk of infections in the senior population.”

Starting this May, DO-HEALTH will recruit participants in eight European cities: Zurich, Basel and Geneva in Switzerland, Toulouse in France, Berlin and Nuremberg in Germany, Coimbra in Portugal, and Innsbruck in Austria. The researchers said they expected to recruit and observe more than 2000 healthy-at-start community-dwelling seniors, aged 70 and older. Participants’ follow-up will be in-person and in quarterly intervals, including yearly clinical visits.
 
Each DO-HEALTH participant will be followed over 36 months. Every year, the participant will be invited to the trial center for a clinical visit including a physical examination, blood exams, physical and cognitive tests and interviews. Every three months each participant will be contacted via phone by the study center in order to get information about health status, record any adverse event or new living condition, and to motivate the patient to adhere to the assigned study interventions.
 
“Such wide and diverse geographical area means that the study population will be representative of the senior European population and the results will be more generalizable across Europe,” the researchers stated via press release. “This will also allow the study to take into accounts the roles of diverse environmental and dietary factors experienced by the European seniors.”
 
“The findings of this important new study may provide the critical evidence that will result in the implementation of simple, cost-effective strategies and medical recommendations to help tackle the growing burden of chronic diseases in Europe’s senior population,” commented Professor René Rizzoli, board member of the International Osteoporosis Foundation and head of the Division of Bone Diseases, Department of Medical Specialties, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine. “Health authorities must do all they can to ensure that senior citizens remain physically independent and active members of the community.”

The DO-HEALTH consortium is comprised of 21 partners, which include both public and private stakeholders. The DO-HEALTH project is expected to benefit from the collaboration of clinical researchers, industry partners, consultants, public health organizations, IT and media partners, each selected for excellence in their respective fields of expertise.