Optimal Diet Healthy Choices Linked to Better Aging Outcomes
Maintaining an optimal diet healthy in plant-based foods, with low to moderate intake of healthy animal-based items and minimal ultra-processed foods, is associated with a greater likelihood of healthy aging. This is the key finding from a new long-term study of over 100,000 women and men tracked for 30 years.
What Does Healthy Aging Mean?
Healthy aging in this context refers to reaching the age of 70 free from major chronic diseases while maintaining cognitive, physical, and mental well-being.
Dietary Patterns and Healthy Aging: A Comprehensive Approach
Study Overview and Institutions Involved
Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, and University of Montreal collaborated on one of the first studies to assess multiple dietary patterns during midlife and their connection to overall healthy aging.
“Our research doesn’t just look at lifespan or single diseases, but instead evaluates how diet affects the quality of life as people age,” said Frank Hu, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard Chan School.
The Study: 30 Years, 100,000+ Participants
Data Source and Participant Demographics
The study analyzed data from two large-scale cohorts:
-
Nurses’ Health Study
-
Health Professionals Follow-Up Study
It involved over 105,000 participants aged 39–69, with dietary data collected and analyzed across three decades.
Participants regularly completed dietary questionnaires, which the researchers scored on how well participants adhered to eight healthy dietary patterns: the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), the Alternative Mediterranean Index (aMED), the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND), the healthful plant-based diet (hPDI), the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI), the empirically inflammatory dietary pattern (EDIP), and the empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH).
Each of these diets emphasizes high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, and legumes, and some also include low to moderate intake of healthy animal-based foods such as fish and certain dairy products.
Impact of Ultra-Processed Foods on Aging
The researchers also evaluated how much ultra-processed food participants consumed. These foods are industrially manufactured and often contain artificial ingredients, added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats.
The study found that 9,771 participants—9.3% of the study population—aged healthfully. Following any one of the healthy dietary patterns was linked to overall healthy aging and its individual domains, including cognitive, physical, and mental health.
The leading healthy diet was the AHEI, which was developed to prevent chronic diseases.
Participants in the highest AHEI quintile had an 86% higher chance of healthy aging at age 70.
They also had a 2.2-fold greater chance of healthy aging at age 75 than those in the lowest quintile.
The AHEI diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and healthy fats.
It limits red and processed meats, sugary drinks, sodium, and refined grains.
Another top diet for healthy aging is the PHDI.
It emphasizes plant-based foods and limits animal-based foods to support both human and environmental health.
Eating more ultra-processed foods lowers the chances of healthy aging.
This is especially true for processed meat and sugary or diet beverages.
Personalized Diets for Healthy Aging
Since individuals and public health prioritize staying active and independent, research on healthy aging is essential,” 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. “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.”
“Our findings also show that there is no one-size-fits-all diet. Healthy diets can be tailored to meet individual needs and preferences,” said lead author Anne-Julie Tessier, assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Montreal, researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute, and visiting scientist at Harvard Chan School.
The study had some limitations, notably that the study population was composed exclusively of health professionals. The researchers said repeating the study with diverse socioeconomic and ancestry groups would improve understanding of its generalizability.