Bioactive compounds in legumes: Implications for sustainable nutrition and health in the elderly population

Background: food production represents one of the highest impacting activities on our planet, significantly contributing to climate change. Agriculture is one of the most important drivers of these changes since farming, forestry, and livestock, emit approximately one third of the global total CO2. Moreover, the modern agriculture systems mainly focus on starchy vegetables leading to energy dense and nutrient poor dietary patterns related to chronic diseases, such as NCDs. Elderly are the most vulnerable population portion that experiences even more than others the impact of unhealthy dietary patterns. Therefore, a transition to healthier and more sustainable solutions must be adopted to reach the SDGs promoted by the Agenda 2030, positively impacting the environment and human health. The role of pulses in this context is discussed. Scope and approach: authors focus on the role of Leguminosae considering their potential impact both on health in the ageing population as well as on agri-food chains sustainability. Key findings and conclusions: there is an increasing awareness on how legumes represent an important source of bioactive compounds (i.e., phenolics, saponins and peptides) with a wide range of healthy activities, all of which share antioxidant properties, essential to prevent or delay oxidative stress and disease in elderly population. With an ever-ageing population at the global level, healthy ageing is an emerging public health priority for securing citizens’ quality of life and minimizing healthcare associated costs.