Elder people need highly digestible foods that can also provide health benefits even to those suffering from chronic diseases.
Furthermore, such foods should be palatable as well as familiar for elder consumers. Fish is a high-protein, low-fat food that
potentially provides a range of health promoting effects which may be further improved with suitable approaches in the
production systems. The present mini-review intends to report possible aquaculture interventions to enhance the positive
impact of fish on elder health and to promote its function in terms of prevention and recovery of specific diseases. Some fish
species during their lifespan experience periods of food restrictions that can be mimicked in aquaculture without affecting
fish welfare. Under these circumstances fish can modify the fatty acid profile and increase the use of muscle proteins to fulfill
their energy requirements, by activation of muscle endogenous proteases. Degradation of muscle proteins can enhance their
digestibility and possibly the release of encrypted bioactive peptides, showing a plethora of biological actions, including the
antihypertensive activity. The degree of myofibrillar protein degradation and the fatty acid profile of fish fillet can then be
managed by suitable and sustainable feeding protocols in the context of farming conditions.
