GASTROENTEROLOGICAL ENDOSCOPY
Online ISSN : 1884-5738
Print ISSN : 0387-1207
ISSN-L : 0387-1207
MEDICAL EFFORTS AIMED AT EXTENDING HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCY AND THE PROSPECTS OF ENDOSCOPIC TREATMENT
Hideaki MIZUNO Hirohisa TAKEICHINobutsugu ABE
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2020 Volume 62 Issue 5 Pages 538-549

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Abstract

In Japan, aging of the population is advancing. A problem therein is that while the average life expectancy is increasing each year, the healthy life expectancy is not changing. As a countermeasure to address this, medical departments overall are undertaking efforts aimed at extending healthy life expectancy, such as to address locomotive syndrome in patients with frailty and sarcopenia. Pharmacotherapy, nutritional therapy, and exercise therapy are three main factors that all improve outcomes, and it is important to coordinate these three factors. Nutritional intervention is a core factor in improving outcomes. Steady nutritional supply requires appropriate digestion and absorption functions in the digestive tract, as well as maintained appetite. However, the incidence rates of organic disease and functional disease caused by aging of the gastrointestinal tract increase with age. As a result, aging of the gastrointestinal tract can lead to changes in the human microbiota, malnutrition, and frailty, which are causes for concern. In other words, it is possible that aging of the gastrointestinal tract itself can cause loss of healthy life expectancy, and we believe that extension of healthy life expectancy is based on improvement and prevention of gastrointestinal disease. In the future, we hope to fully examine this in the field of gastroenterology including endoscopic medicine.

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© 2020 Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society
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