Aging goes hand in hand with your body becoming weak and more susceptible to diseases. Our bodies experience processes like immunosenescence, which marks a decline in immunity as a result of aging. Most of such conditions, where the body’s immune system weakens and becomes prone to diseases, begin at the age of 65 or older.
To prepare for these stages of life, one needs to ensure proper nutrition during adulthood. This can be done by following nutritious diets. One such diet has been suggested in a recent study published in Nature Medicine on Monday. This 30-year study tracked the eating habits of 105,015 middle-aged health professionals in the US. It found that diets high in plant-based foods with low to moderate amounts of animal-based food and minimal ultra-processed foods had a higher likelihood of healthy aging, independent of body mass index, physical activity and smoking habits.
This suggests “what you eat in midlife can play a big role in how well you age,” said Anne-Julie Tessier, nutrition researcher at the University of Montreal and author of the study, to the Washington Post.
What are the likelihoods of healthy aging?
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Researchers define “healthy aging” as making it to age 70 without major chronic disease. Most older adults who participated in the study had at least one chronic health condition such as diabetes, heart disease or cancer. Just 9,771 study participants were able to reach the age of 70 without one. They followed the Mediterranean diet, the Planetary Health Diet Index and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, which emphasize the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, and legumes, with low amounts of processed meat, sugar and trans fat. These diets had an 86% higher chance of healthy aging than diets rich in red and processed meat, trans fat, sodium and sugary beverages, which had a lower likelihood of healthy aging. Participants who consumed ultra-processed food were 32% less likely to achieve healthy aging.
“Our findings suggest that dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods, with moderate inclusion of healthy animal-based foods, may enhance overall healthy aging, guiding future dietary guidelines,” read the observational study.
