- People are living longer than ever before, and it is natural to want to know how to age healthily.
- Previous research has shown that certain lifestyle factors such as eating a healthy diet plays a role in healthy aging.
- A new study has found that following specific dietary patterns may help a person age healthily with no chronic diseases or cognitive issues at age 70.
- Researchers say eating more plant-based foods, and less animal-based foods and ultra-processed foods is key.
With people
Previous research has shown that certain lifestyle factors like not smoking,
Now, a new study has found that following specific dietary patterns — that focus on eating plant-based foods and limiting ultra-processed and animal-based foods — may help a person age healthy with no chronic diseases or
The findings were recently published in the journal
For this study, researchers analyzed health data from more than 105,000 adult participants of the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Participants ranged in age from 39 to 69 at the start of the study and were followed for 30 years, during which time they were regularly asked questions about their diet.
Scientists defined “healthy aging” for this study as reaching the age of 70 without a major chronic condition and maintaining good cognitive, physical, and mental health.
“More than three out of four older adults report having at least one chronic disease, one in two experiences functional limitations, and one in 10 lives with dementia,” Anne-Julie Tessier, RD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Montreal, researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute, visiting scientist at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and first author of this study told Medical News Today.
“Studies have previously focused on specific diseases or how long people live (mortality). Healthy aging, however, takes a multifaceted view. It asks: Can you live independently and enjoy a good quality of life as you age?”
— Anne-Julie Tessier, RD, PhD
Researchers focused on eight different dietary patterns for this study:
- Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)
- Alternative Mediterranean Index (aMED)
- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)
Empirical Dietary Index for Hyperinsulinemia (EDIH) Empirically Inflammatory Dietary Pattern (EDIP) - Healthful Plant-Based Diet (hPDI)
- Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND)
- Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI)
According to the researchers, all dietary patterns shared similarities such as promoting an intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while reducing the amount of red and processed meats.
The scientists also analyzed participants’ consumption of ultra-processed foods.
At the study’s conclusion, researchers found that participants who most closely followed the AHEI dietary pattern were most likely to age healthy. This group had an 86% higher chance of healthy aging at age 70 and a 2.2-fold higher likelihood of healthy aging at age 75 compared with participants who followed this dietary pattern least closely.
“A higher AHEI score reflects a diet that was elaborated to prevent chronic diseases; it emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats,” Tessier explained.
What is AHEI?“Having a high Alternative Healthy Eating Index score would translate into eating five servings per day of vegetables, and having an extra serving of green leafy vegetables, four servings per day of fruits, five to six servings per day of whole grains, a serving per day of plant protein such as nuts or legumes, a serving of fish weekly, and using plant oils as the main culinary fat.”
— Anne-Julie Tessier, RD, PhD
“Yet, higher adherence to all healthy dietary patterns that we examined were associated with healthy aging,” she continued.
“People who adhered to eight Healthy dietary patterns in midlife, especially those rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and Healthy fats, were 45-86% more likely to achieve Healthy aging. This suggests that what you eat in midlife can play a big role in how well you age,” she said.
“Diet is the second leading modifiable risk factor for chronic disease, following tobacco use. Despite its importance, few studies have explored the link between dietary patterns and overall healthy aging. Our study underscores the potential for dietary recommendations to not only focus on disease prevention but also to promote healthy aging as a long-term objective,” Tessier added.
MNT spoke with Mir Ali, MD, a board certified general surgeon, bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, about this study.
“I thought it was a great study looking at the effects of diet on overall Health,” Ali commented. “We’ve known for some time that diet greatly affects lots of Health conditions, and this is a good study showing that it actually improves long-term Health.”
“The population overall is aging, and so as we age, we encounter more health issues,” he continued. “And if we can find ways to reduce, minimize, or even eliminate some of these health issues just by dietary changes, that would benefit a lot of people,” he said.
“(For the) different types of diets (it) may be helpful to break that down further, to come up with the optimal diet based on age and general health.”
— Mir Ali, MD
While many readers will be familiar with the Mediterranean, MIND, and DASH diets, some of these other dietary patterns are not as common. How can readers determine the best diet for them to follow so they age as healthy as possible?
Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, advised readers to focus less on the name or label of a dietary pattern, and more on the commonality of what is included in the dietary patterns that have been associated with positive outcomes as they take inventory of their own diet.
“Essentially what AHEI and the other dietary patterns are categorizing are food groups high in quality, appropriate in portion, varied in selection, and balanced in composition,” Richard explained to MNT.
“In other words, foods that are highly nutritious are automatically going to prevent, treat, or course correct the path of chronic disease — the purpose of creation of the AHEI, and many of these including DASH, MIND, etc. The earlier we start with these foundational essentials the more effective they will be as we age.”
— Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN
Richard suggested thinking of diets more as “brands” and examining the integrity of their composition by asking:
- What are the components of this pattern?
- Where do they come from? (for example, olive oil included in the Mediterranean dietary pattern does not have the same benefit across the spectrum if it is adulterated with other oils or has oxidized and become rancid)
- How do those components work and feel in my body?
“I encourage my clients and patients to consider the words of Michael Pollan — paraphrasing and with much nuance clarified — we want to eat more plants and eat less food made in a plant,” she said.
