What foods are beneficial for staying healthy as you age?

 

What foods are beneficial for staying healthy as you age?

A recent study has found that diets high in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes and low-fat dairy products are primarily associated with health, while sodium, sugary drinks, trans fats, red meat and processed meat were found to be harmful to health.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the University of Copenhagen and the University of Montreal, was published in Nature Medicine.

The findings of this study were based on assessments of the diet and health of more than 100,000 people.

“Previous research has focused on how people’s diets affect specific diseases or how long they live,” said Frank Ho, the Frederick J. Steer Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School. “Ours was a multifaceted approach, asking how diet affects people’s ability to live and enjoy a good quality of life as they age.”

The researchers studied 105,000 people aged 39 to 69 using data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

The study examined the diets and ultimate health outcomes of the women and men in the study. Participants completed regular dietary questionnaires, which the researchers noted how well they followed eight healthy eating patterns.

The details of the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, Alternative Mediterranean Index, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Healthy Mediterranean Diet, Plant-Based Diet (HPDI), Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) were also given by the people involved in the research, on the basis of which the experts drew conclusions. According to the researchers, each of these diets, which included fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts and legumes, proved to be very healthy, and the quality of life of those who ate them was better.

Similarly, certain food products derived from fish and milk (dairy products) were also found to be beneficial for health.

The researchers also examined the participants' intake of ultra-processed foods, which are industrially produced and often contain artificial ingredients such as sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats.

According to the research results, high consumption of ultra-processed foods, especially processed meats and sweets and beverages, reduces the chances of healthy aging.