Diet at 40 Affects Quality of Life 30 Years Later

Hugo Dominguez, who belongs to the Ju7 Martial Arts School gym.

Eating a healthy diet in midlife can increase your chances of achieving healthy aging, according to a new study from the Harvard T.C. Chan School of Public Health, which says that currently only 1 in 10 people can live disease-free and in good physical, cognitive and mental health into their 70s or beyond.

“People who had a healthy diet in midlife, especially those rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, were significantly more likely to achieve healthy aging,” says Anne-Julie Tessier, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“This suggests that what we eat in midlife may play an important role in aging,” adds Tessier, who will present the findings at NUTRITION 2024, the American Society for Nutrition’s flagship annual meeting.

A study based on data from more than 100,000 people over 30 years shows that people who ate a healthy diet starting in their 40s were 43 to 84 percent more likely to function well physically and mentally at age 70 compared to those who didn’t.

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When it came to specific foods, the researchers found that higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy were associated with higher odds of healthy aging, while higher intakes of fat, sodium, and red and processed meats were associated with lower odds of healthy aging.

While many previous studies have shown that healthy eating can help prevent chronic disease, the new study is unique in that it focuses on healthy aging, defined not only by the absence of disease but also the ability to live independently and enjoy a good quality of life as you age.

“Traditionally, research and dietary guidelines have focused on preventing chronic diseases like heart disease,” says Tessier. “Our study shows that dietary guidelines are looking beyond disease prevention to promoting healthy aging as a long-term goal.”

Researchers analyzed data from more than 106,000 people since 1986. Participants were at least 39 years old, had no chronic diseases, and provided information about their diets through questionnaires every four years when the study began. By 2016, nearly half of the study participants had died, and only 9.2% had survived to age 70 and beyond, remaining free of chronic diseases and enjoying good physical, cognitive, and mental health.

The researchers compared healthy aging outcomes between people in the highest and lowest quintiles in terms of adherence to each of eight healthy eating patterns identified in previous research. The strongest correlation was with the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, which measures adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Participants in the top quintile of this eating pattern were 84 percent more likely to achieve healthy aging than those in the bottom quintile.

Strong correlations were also found for the empirical dietary index for the hyperinsulinemia diet (associated with a 78% higher likelihood of healthy aging), the planetary health diet (68%), the alternative Mediterranean diet (67%), the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) (66%), the Mediterranean Intervention Diet-DASH for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) (59%), and the empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (58%). A somewhat more modest association was found for the healthy plant-based diet (43%).

“One of the findings that stood out was the link between planet-healthy eating and healthy ageing,” warns Tessier. “This diet is based on the Lancet EAT Commission report, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, plant proteins, and healthy fats from sustainable sources.”

“The fact that it has become one of the main dietary patterns associated with healthy aging is particularly interesting because it confirms that we can eat a diet that can benefit both our health and the planet,” he adds.

The link between diet and healthy aging remained strong even when the researchers took into account physical activity and other factors known to influence health. Tessier noted that each of the healthy diet patterns was associated with healthy aging overall, as well as with individual components of healthy aging, including physical health, cognitive function, and mental health.

Because the study focused on eating patterns in midlife, Tessier said future research could help clarify the possible consequences of adopting healthier eating patterns later in life.