Everyone desires to live a longer life. And we’re often advised that making healthy lifestyle choices, such as exercising, quitting smoking, and not drinking too much alcohol, is the key to achieving this. Diet has also been proved to extend life span in studies.
According to a new study, eating healthy can prolong lifespan by six to seven years in middle-aged persons and by roughly ten years in young ones.
The researchers combined data from a number of studies on nutrition and longevity with data from the Global Burden of Disease Study, which compiles information on population health in a wide variety of countries.
The authors were able to predict how life expectancy altered with changes in intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, refined grains, nuts, legumes, fish, eggs, dairy, red meat, processed meat, and sugary drinks after combining this data.
The authors were thus able to create an ideal diet for longevity, which they contrasted to the standard western diet, which consists primarily of processed meals, red meat, high-fat dairy products, high-sugar foods, pre-packaged foods, and a low intake of fruits and vegetables. More legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), whole grains (oats, barley, and brown rice), and nuts, as well as less red and processed meat, were found to be beneficial in their study.
For women and men from the United States, China, and Europe, consuming an ideal diet starting at age 20 increased life expectancy by more than a decade. They also discovered that switching from a western to an optimum diet at the age of 60 would add eight years to one’s life expectancy. Life expectancy for 80-year-olds might improve by about three and a half years.
However, because it is not always possible for people to entirely shift their diet, the researchers assessed what would happen if people switched from a western diet to a diet that was midway between the optimal and usual western diet.
They discovered that even a “feasibility approach diet” might boost life expectancy for 20-year-olds by just over six years for women and just over seven years for men.
These findings suggest that implementing long-term dietary adjustments at any age can have a significant impact on life expectancy. However, the benefits are greatest if these modifications are made early in life.
