Want to live better in old age? Scientists advise following these eating habits

Eating a diet that is mostly plant-based – and that skips red meat and ultra-processed foods – is tied to better physical and mental health in old age, a large new analysis shows.

The study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine, tracked about 105,000 people in the United States for up to 30 years.

It analysed health outcomes associated with eight diets and eating habits, including the Mediterranean diet, which emphasises olive oil, fish, and nuts, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, which restricts sodium to help control blood pressure.

Around age 70, the healthiest people’s diets included plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, beans and other legumes, and “moderate” levels of animal-based foods such as low-fat dairy.

They avoided sodium, ultra-processed foods such as sugary drinks, red or processed meats, and trans fats, which are often found in fried foods.

“Maybe there’s not a superfood or a diet that saves us all, but there’s different diets that could improve our health,” Marta Guasch-Ferré, the study’s senior author and an associate professor studying the link between lifestyle factors and chronic diseases at the University of Copenhagen, told Euronews Health.

The healthiest diets, she added, are “not one size fits all”.

Less than 1 in 10 are ageing healthily

While research into diet and health outcomes is nothing new, the study authors said their analysis is one of the first to hit upon how different eating habits in midlife are tied to healthy ageing overall.

In the study, people were considered to be ageing well if they reached 70 without any major chronic conditions, if their brain function was still good, and if they had “intact” mental health and physical abilities.

Compared with other research on healthy ageing, Guasch-Ferré said this is a more comprehensive view that takes into account quality of life rather than just how long people live.

“Do we really want to live longer, or do we want to live better?” she said.

Yet fewer than one in 10 people actually met the bar for healthy ageing, the analysis found.

While the study was done in the US, Guasch-Ferré said the results likely hold up in Europe as well.

The study has some limitations, however. While the researchers tried to take factors like socioeconomic status into account, other issues such as genetics, the environment, and access to healthcare could also play a role in the diet-health nexus.

Even so, Guasch-Ferré said the findings could be used to tweak dietary guidelines – and to help incentivise people to make healthier dining choices.

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“Of course, healthy ageing is not just [about] the diet,” she said. But “any improvement on the diet could help”.