FRIDAY, July 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The longer people adhere to healthy eating patterns, the better their chances of aging healthily, according to a study presented at NUTRITION 2024, the annual meeting of the American Academy of Nutrition, held June 29-July 2 in Chicago.
Anne-Julie Tessier, PhD, of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston and her colleagues used validated food frequency questionnaires to examine adherence to eight dietary patterns every four years and assessed the association between long-term adherence and healthy aging, defined as survival to age 70 years or older, freedom from chronic disease, and good self-reported cognitive, physical, and mental health.
Overall, 9,837 participants (9.2%) achieved healthy aging over the 30-year follow-up. The researchers observed a significant association between higher adherence to any dietary pattern and higher odds of healthy aging. Comparing the highest and lowest quintiles, odds ratios ranged from 1.43 to 1.85, with the weakest associations seen with a healthy plant-based diet and the strongest associations with alternative healthy diets. There was also an association between higher adherence to any dietary pattern and components of healthy aging. Higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy products were associated with higher odds of healthy aging, while higher intakes of trans fat, sodium, whole meat, red meat, and processed meat were inversely associated.
“Our study provides evidence for dietary recommendations that consider not only disease prevention but also promoting overall healthy aging as a long-term goal,” Tessier said in a statement.
Abstract
For more information
