Want to age well? Pay attention to what you eat in your 40s

The secret to aging well may lie in your diet during middle age. Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and unsaturated fats during middle age may increase a person’s chances of aging healthily, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan Public Schools.

The research was presented in July at Nutrition 2024main annual meeting of the American Society of Nutrition, in Chicago, United States.

The study defined “healthy aging” as living to at least age 70, being free of chronic disease, and maintaining good cognitive function, mental health, and physical function. The researchers used data from two large studies — the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study — on the dietary habits and health outcomes of more than 106,000 men and women.

Participants were at least 39 years old and had no chronic diseases at the start of the study. Information about their diets was collected between 1986 and 2010.

The researchers assessed each participant’s adherence to eight dietary patterns considered healthy, including the DASH diet, the Planetary Health diet, and the Alternative Healthy Food Index that most closely matches the U.S. dietary guidelines. Overall, all diet types emphasized high intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats (mostly from plant sources), nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy products.

By 2016, nearly half of the participants had died and only 9.2% had aged healthily, according to a standard defined by the researchers. According to the study, people who adhered to a diet closer to healthy had between 43% and 84% more likely to age well .

The association between diet and healthy aging was strongest among those who adhered to a diet closest to the American guidelines, with an 84% chance of healthy aging compared to those who did not follow this type of diet.

The other rates of healthy aging for each type of diet assessed by the study were:

• Hyperinsulinemia diet (insulin control): 78%;
• Planetary Health Diet: 68%;
• Mediterranean diet: 67%;
• DASH diet: 66%;
• MIND Diet: 59%;
• Empirical inflammatory dietary pattern (determined by the consumption of rice, beans, fruits, vegetables, greens and processed meats): 58%;
• Healthy plant-based diet: 43%.

Participants with the higher intakes of trans fats, sodium and meat — especially red and processed meats — had the lowest chance of aging well . This negative relationship remained consistent even after researchers controlled for other risk factors, such as participants’ health history, body mass index, physical activity level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, socioeconomic status, and psychosocial health.

“Traditionally, research and derived dietary guidelines have focused on preventing chronic diseases such as heart disease,” explains Anne-Julie Tessier, research associate in the Department of Nutrition, in press release.

“Our study provides evidence for dietary recommendations to consider not only disease prevention but also the promotion of overall healthy aging as a long-term goal,” he adds.

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