The Penn State Center for Healthy Aging is a university research, training, and outreach center focused on how biological, psychological, and social factors shape aging. Its work includes brain health, dementia risk, stress, loneliness, nutrition, physical activity, and community education. Its findings are best read as research guidance, not personalized medical advice 1.
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See if you qualify →What is the Penn State Center for Healthy Aging?
The Penn State Center for Healthy Aging is a university center that connects aging research, training, and public outreach. Its mission is to turn new insights about aging into better health and quality of life for older adults and their families 2.
The center is not a primary-care office or a prescription clinic. It studies aging across biology, behavior, psychology, and social life, then shares some of that work through public education and community programs 1. For a broader view of what human studies can and cannot show, our guide to longevity research explains how to weigh evidence.
What are the quick facts about the center?
Quick facts: Penn State describes the center as a place where research, training, and outreach meet. Its work is tied to the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and includes community-facing education 1.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Where is it based? | At Penn State, within the College of Health and Human Development ecosystem 1. |
| What does it study? | Biological, psychological, and social processes that shape aging 2. |
| Who leads it? | Penn State identifies Martin Sliwinski as director in public materials on brain health and aging 3. |
| How does it share research? | Through outreach such as public lectures and research news for community members 3. |
| What does it not do? | It does not replace individualized medical care, diagnosis, or treatment planning. |
What is the center’s mission?
The center’s mission is to connect research, training, and outreach so that discoveries about aging can support better health and quality of life. Penn State’s director notes describe aging research as a path from basic discovery to interventions, policies, and programs 2.
The center also lists Respect, Opportunity, and Collaboration as guiding values. In plain language, that means the work is meant to involve researchers, students, older adults, families, and community partners, not just lab teams working alone 2.
What kinds of healthy-aging research does Penn State focus on?
Penn State healthy-aging research spans brain health, dementia risk, loneliness, nutrition, food insecurity, sleep, physical activity, and training for future researchers. Penn State news pages also list work tied to the Geroscience and Dementia Prevention Consortium 4.
Brain health and dementia prevention
Penn State reports that Center for Healthy Aging work is giving researchers new insight into brain health across the lifespan and risk factors linked with dementia 3. This fits with wider dementia research showing that dementia risk is shaped by many factors, including health conditions, environment, education, and lifestyle 5.
Stress, loneliness, and social connection
Penn State-affiliated topic pages list studies on loneliness, cognitive decline, and physical health problems 4. Human observational evidence can show links, but it does not prove that loneliness alone causes cognitive impairment in every person.
Nutrition and weight changes in later life
Penn State pages list research on food insecurity, nutrition, and unhealthy weight changes in older adults 4. This matters because later-life weight change can reflect diet, muscle loss, medications, illness, mood, income, dental health, or access to food.
Physical activity and Alzheimer’s risk
Penn State pages list a funded study on long-term physical activity and Alzheimer’s disease risk 4. National physical-activity guidelines also recommend regular aerobic activity plus strength training for older adults when safe and appropriate, because activity supports function, balance, and cardiometabolic health 7.
Training the next generation of aging researchers
The center describes training as part of its mission, alongside research and outreach 2. That training role matters because aging is not one field; it includes neuroscience, psychology, nutrition, public health, medicine, social science, and community programs.
What does Penn State’s work suggest about brain health?
Brain health is influenced by more than genes. In Penn State coverage of a public talk, Martin Sliwinski said that genetics do not write a fixed fate for brain aging and that behavior may affect brain resilience 3.
Dementia risk is influenced by more than genetics
Penn State’s brain-health guidance points to modifiable dementia risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, alcohol use, traumatic brain injury, untreated hearing loss, diabetes, air pollution, smoking, physical inactivity, depression, and social isolation 3. The Lancet Commission has also estimated that a large share of dementia cases may be linked to modifiable risk factors at the population level 5.
Lifestyle factors may affect cognitive resilience
Human clinical evidence supports the idea that multi-domain lifestyle programs can help some older adults at risk for cognitive decline. In the FINGER randomized trial, a 2-year program using diet, exercise, cognitive training, and vascular-risk monitoring improved or maintained cognitive performance compared with general health advice, though individual results varied 8.
No lifestyle change guarantees dementia prevention
No diet, supplement, activity plan, peptide, or medication can promise dementia prevention for an individual person. The World Health Organization recommends risk-reduction steps such as physical activity, smoking cessation, healthy diet patterns, and management of hypertension or diabetes, but it frames these as risk reduction, not a guarantee 6.
What are the five pillars of healthy aging?
Healthy aging is best understood as a multi-factor process, not a single intervention. A practical framework is movement, nutrition, sleep and recovery, social connection, and medical prevention with cognitive engagement.
| Pillar | What it means | Evidence strength |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Aerobic activity, strength work, balance, and less sitting when safe. | Supported by official guidelines and human evidence for function and chronic-disease risk 7. |
| Nutrition | Protein- and nutrient-rich meals; often Mediterranean-style patterns are studied. | Human clinical and observational evidence supports cardiometabolic and cognitive-health links 6. |
| Sleep and recovery | Enough sleep, stress management, and time to recover. | Human observational evidence links sleep and stress with health, but causes can be complex. |
| Social connection | Regular contact, purpose, and reduced isolation. | Human observational evidence links social isolation and depression with dementia risk 5. |
| Medical prevention and cognitive engagement | Blood pressure, diabetes, hearing, mood, vaccines, medications, and mentally engaging activity. | Supported by guidelines and dementia-risk research 5, 6. |
For a patient-friendly overview of healthspan, lifespan, and evidence quality, see our guide to longevity health. If you want a more practical daily-habits guide, our article on healthy aging for seniors may be a useful next read.
What should a 70-year-old do every day for healthy aging?
A 70-year-old should focus on repeatable basics: safe movement, enough protein and nutrients, social contact, sleep, stress reduction, and preventive care. The right plan depends on health conditions, medications, mobility, fall risk, and personal goals.
- Move safely: walking, light strength work, balance practice, or physical therapy-guided activity can support function when matched to ability 7.
- Eat protein- and nutrient-rich meals: ask a clinician or dietitian about unplanned weight loss, food insecurity, swallowing trouble, dental issues, or diabetes-related nutrition needs.
- Stay socially connected: call someone, attend a class, volunteer, or join a group; social isolation is one of the dementia-risk factors highlighted in major reviews 5.
- Protect sleep and manage stress: poor sleep, pain, alcohol, depression, anxiety, and some medications can all affect energy and cognition.
- Follow preventive care with a clinician: blood pressure, diabetes, hearing loss, depression, smoking, alcohol use, falls, vaccines, and medication safety are all worth reviewing.
This is not a diagnosis checklist. If new confusion, falls, sudden weight loss, chest pain, severe shortness of breath, or major mood changes appear, those are reasons to seek medical care promptly.
Does Penn State offer free classes or lectures for seniors?
Penn State public outreach includes healthy-aging lectures and research education for community members. Penn State reports that its Healthy Aging Community Lecture Series helps translate current research for the public 3.
Healthy Aging Community Lecture Series
The Healthy Aging Community Lecture Series is designed to make research easier to understand outside the lab. Topics may vary by date and speaker, so readers should check Penn State’s Center for Healthy Aging website for current schedules 1.
How to check current events and schedules
Because event pages change, the safest source is the center’s current Penn State page, not an old screenshot or repost. Look for the latest event listing, registration instructions, location, and whether the session is virtual or in person 1.
Who the lectures are designed for
These lectures are generally meant for community learning. They can help older adults, caregivers, students, and families understand research, but they do not replace a clinician who knows your medical history.
How should patients use university healthy-aging research?
University research is most useful when you treat it as a map, not a prescription. It can show patterns across groups, but it cannot tell one person exactly which supplement, hormone, medication, or peptide is right for them.
| Evidence type | What it can tell you | What it cannot prove by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Human clinical evidence | Whether an intervention helped in a controlled human study. | That every person will benefit or that the same result applies outside the study. |
| Human observational evidence | Whether a factor is linked with an outcome in real-world people. | That the factor caused the outcome. |
| Systematic review | What a body of evidence suggests across studies. | That all studies are high quality or that one plan fits everyone. |
| Animal evidence | Possible mechanisms to study further. | That the same effect happens in humans. |
| Cell evidence | Early biology in controlled lab systems. | That a supplement, peptide, or drug improves human healthspan. |
This matters in longevity medicine. A biomarker change, animal result, or cell study does not prove longer human lifespan. Our guide to human longevity research explains why patient decisions should lean most heavily on human evidence.
How does Chia view healthy-aging research?
At Chia, healthy-aging research starts with education, not promises. We do not treat university findings as proof that any supplement, hormone, peptide, or prescription therapy extends human lifespan.
Some readers exploring healthy aging ask about therapies Chia offers, such as NAD+, sermorelin, GHK-Cu, estradiol, progesterone, low-dose naltrexone, glutathione, PT-141, semaglutide, or tirzepatide. These are not one-size-fits-all healthy-aging tools. They require a health questionnaire, licensed US provider review, and a prescription only when clinically appropriate; prescriptions are never guaranteed.
When treatment is appropriate, Chia medications are compounded in the US by state-licensed 503A compounding pharmacies and shipped to the patient’s door. Patients receive provider-guided dosing and can message their care team through the patient portal. Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, and the FDA states that compounded drugs are not reviewed for safety, effectiveness, or quality before marketing 10.
That is why our safety lens is licensed care over unlicensed experimentation. If you are considering peptides, hormones, GLP-1 medications, or supplements, the practical step is not to copy a study protocol. It is to review your goals, labs when needed, medications, risks, and contraindications with a clinician.
FAQ
No. It is a university research, training, and outreach center. It can be a helpful source of education, but it does not replace your own clinician for diagnosis, treatment, or prevention advice.
Yes. Penn State materials describe work on brain health, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia risk factors, physical activity, loneliness, and cognitive decline. These studies can guide research and public education, but they do not create a guaranteed prevention plan for one person.
No. Penn State’s public brain-health guidance emphasizes that behavior may influence brain resilience and dementia risk, but no lifestyle change guarantees dementia prevention.
It varies widely. Some 75-year-old women are active and independent; others live with arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, sleep problems, pain, or mobility limits. Muscle mass, balance, bone density, hearing, vision, medications, nutrition, and social support all matter.
Penn State describes community-facing healthy-aging lectures and public outreach. Schedules, topics, and registration can change, so the center’s current website is the best place to check.
No. Some peptides are studied for specific biological pathways, but animal evidence, cell evidence, or biomarker changes do not prove longer human lifespan. Prescription therapies should be discussed with a licensed clinician.
Chia can provide an online clinical review for treatments in its current catalog. A licensed US provider reviews your health information and prescribes only when clinically appropriate. Prescriptions are not guaranteed, and compounded medications are not FDA-approved.
References
- 1.Penn State College of Health and Human Development. Center for Healthy Aging (CHA), 2026.
- 2.Penn State Center for Healthy Aging. Notes from the Director, 2026.
- 3.Penn State News. Research from the Center for Healthy Aging yields guidance on brain health, 2024.
- 4.Penn State Social Science Research Institute. Center for Healthy Aging news topics, 2026.
- 5.Livingston G, Huntley J, Sommerlad A, et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. The Lancet, 2020.
- 6.World Health Organization. Risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia: WHO guidelines, 2019.
- 7.Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, et al. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA, 2018.
- 8.Ngandu T, Lehtisalo J, Solomon A, et al. A 2 year multidomain intervention of diet, exercise, cognitive training, and vascular risk monitoring versus control to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk elderly people: a randomized controlled trial. The Lancet, 2015.
- 9.Evidence-Based Pathways to Healthy Aging: A Systematic Review. 2025.
- 10.U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Compounding and the FDA: Questions and Answers, 2024.
About this article
Chia Health Editorial Team — Evidence-reviewed health education
This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any prescription.
AI tools may assist with research and drafting. Chia's editorial team reviews source use, clarity, treatment information, and safety framing before publication. A clinician is named only after explicit sign-off. Read our editorial standards.
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