Adopting healthy eating habits during middle age boosts the likelihood of healthy aging.
That’s according to a new study from the Harvard T.C. Chan School of Public Health, which found that a "moderate intake of healthy, animal-based foods" and a "lower intake of ultraprocessed foods" could increase the chances of reaching age 70 with good "cognitive, physical and mental health" and no major diseases.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Montreal also contributed to the study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
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"Studies have previously investigated dietary patterns in the context of specific diseases or how long people live. Ours takes a multifaceted view, asking, how does diet impact people’s ability to live independently and enjoy a good quality of life as they age?" said co-corresponding author Frank Hu, Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School, in a Harvard press release.
The researchers analyzed diet and health data for more than 105,000 women and men aged 39 to 69 over a 30-year period, drawn from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
Based on the participants’ self-reported diets, they were given scores for eight different healthy eating plans based on their intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts and legumes, as well as some healthy animal-based foods, including fish and certain dairy products, the release stated.
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They also investigated the participants’ consumption of ultraprocessed foods containing added sugars, sodium and unhealthy fats.
The diet with the most benefits for healthy aging was the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), the researchers found, which was linked to an 86% greater likelihood of healthy aging at 70 years old.
This diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and healthy fats, with limited amounts of red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, sodium and refined grains, the release stated.
Participants who ate more processed foods had less likelihood of healthy aging, with processed meat and sugary or diet beverages named as the biggest culprits.
"Our findings suggest that dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods, with moderate inclusion of healthy, animal-based foods, may promote overall healthy aging and help shape future dietary guidelines," said co-corresponding author Marta Guasch-Ferré, associate professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen and adjunct associate professor of nutrition at Harvard Chan School, in the release.
"Our findings also show that there is no one-size-fits-all diet. Healthy diets can be adapted to fit individual needs and preferences," added lead author Anne-Julie Tessier, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Montreal and researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute.
Sherry Coleman Collins, a food allergy dietitian and expert from the Atlanta metropolitan area, was not involved in the study but reviewed the findings.
"This data helps emphasize the importance of how we eat throughout life, in particular at midlife, on our ability to remain healthy and strong into our golden years," she told Fox News Digital.
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"Since the majority of healthcare dollars are spent at the end of our life, this has huge implications on the potential to save money on costly interventions, as well as improving quality of life throughout the lifespan."
Most of the beneficial diets in the study were primarily plant-based, Collins noted.
"They aren't all vegetarian or vegan, but they all include an eating pattern made up of primarily fruits, vegetables, whole grains, foods high in unsaturated fats, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds."
She agreed, however, that there is no one-size-fits-all diet, and that people can be healthy by eating many different types of diets.
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"The most health-promoting diets all exclude or only include small amounts of high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, ultraprocessed foods," she said.
The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged — chiefly that it was limited to only health professionals.
Further studies are needed to confirm the findings with more diverse populations, they said.
The Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study were supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Other support was received from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the release stated.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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