I’m 40 and to age gracefully it’s important to eat mindfully.
People who eat a nutritious diet from their 40s onwards are 43 to 84 percent more likely to be in good physical and mental health at age 70 than those who don’t. New research findings.
“People who maintained healthy diets in midlife — particularly those high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats — were significantly more likely to experience healthy old age,” said Anjulie Tessier, a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “This suggests that what we eat in midlife may play a major role in our health in later life.”
The survey, which began in 1986, involved 106,000 adults answering questions about their diet every four years.
Participants were at least 39 years old at the start of the study and had no chronic illnesses.
Nearly half of the study volunteers had died by 2016, and only 9.2% survived to age 70 or older in good physical, cognitive and mental health.
The following eight dietary patterns were found to be most likely to promote healthy aging:
Overall, researchers found that prioritizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes and low-fat dairy products over trans fats, sodium and meat (especially red and processed meats) may improve your chances of aging healthily.
Tessier announced the findings of his investigation on Tuesday. Nutrition 2024American Society for Nutrition Annual Meeting.
The research follows one last month which found unhealthy eating habits are predicted to increase obesity rates from 43.1% to 60.6% of the population.
Tessier says her team’s research is unique because it looks not just at disease but at the ability to live independently and enjoy a high quality of life in later life.
“Traditionally, research and the dietary guidelines derived from it have focused on preventing chronic diseases like heart disease,” Tessier said. “Our study provides evidence for dietary recommendations that consider not only disease prevention but also promoting overall healthy aging as a long-term goal.”
