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Final Program


Schedule at a Glance
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Program: Scientific Session
General Topic: Clinical

Nutrition for Rheumatic Disease: Where Aging Biology, Sarcopenia, and Diet Intersect

Monday, October 27, 2025
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM Central Time

    Moderator(s)

  • Katherine Wysham, MD (she/her/hers)

    VA PUGET SOUND/UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
    Seattle, Washington, United States

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose

  • Sarah Lieber, MD, MS (she/her/hers)

    Hospital for Special Surgery
    New York, New York, United States

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose

    • Session Coordinator(s)

  • DF

    David Fernandez, MD, PhD

    Hospital for Special Surgery
    New York, New York, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • DeAnna Baker Frost, MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Medical University of South Carolina
    Charleston, South Carolina, United States

    Disclosure(s): Allogene: Consultant (Ongoing); Boehringer-Ingelheim: Consultant (Ongoing)

  • Brittany Adler, MD

    Johns Hopkins University
    BALTIMORE, Maryland, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

The goal of this session is to provide an overview and example of how the biology of aging links to chronic inflammation in patients with rheumatic disease. Specifically, in patients with rheumatic disease, chronic inflammation contributes to the loss of muscle mass (i.e., sarcopenia) and the associated early aging phenotype. Highlighting the importance of nutrition in aging patients, both age-associated impairments in nutrient sensing and poor nutrition exacerbate poor physical health and rheumatic disease-related outcomes. The first presentation will discuss the molecular biology of aging and the how alterations in nutrition, dysbiosis, and cellular metabolism and senescence perpetuate chronic inflammation. The second presentation will discuss the epidemiology and impact of altered body composition—including sarcopenia and cachexia—on rheumatic disease and highlight how malnutrition impacts body composition. The third presentation will discuss the clinical evaluation of accelerated aging and the management of frailty in patients with rheumatic disease, including considerations for exercise, diet, and nutrition interventions.

Learning Objectives:

  • Evaluate how the molecular hallmarks of aging, including cellular senescence and impaired nutrient sensing, relate to the pathogenesis of rheumatic disease
  • Critically evaluate the prevalence, natural history, and impact of altered body composition, including sarcopenia and cachexia, on patients with rheumatic disease
  • Distinguish the early aging phenotype and assess the impact of diet and lifestyle interventions in the clinical management of rheumatic disease

Presentations:

  • 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Central Time
    Age-Related Changes in Nutrient-Sensing and Its Impact on Inflammation

    Speaker: Brian J. Andonian, MD,MHS – Duke University

  • 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Central Time
    Sarcopenia, Cachexia, and Malnutrition in Rheumatic Disease

    Speaker: Joshua F. Baker, MD, MS – University of Pennsylvania

  • 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Central Time
    Accelerated Aging in the Patient with Rheumatic Disease: What's the Role of Lifestyle and Diet?

    Speaker: Neha Bhanusali, MD – UCF Health