A Quick Look
Healthy eating habits in middle age increased the likelihood of surviving into one’s seventies free of serious chronic illnesses.
According to the findings, a range of nutritious eating habits may help people age well in their older years.
A growing number of people in the United States are interested in learning how to preserve their physical, mental, and cognitive well-being as they age. Healthy diet has been linked in numerous studies to the prevention of chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. Others have linked a healthy diet to a longer lifespan. The long-term effects of midlife food choices are among the less prevalent research that look at the connections between different dietary patterns and healthy aging in general.
Drs. Anne-Julie Tessier of the University of Montreal, Frank Hu of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Marta Guasch-Ferré of the University of Copenhagen headed a study team that made the decision to investigate further. The information they analyzed came from two long-term lifestyle and health studies. Women aged 30 to 55 were recruited for the Nurses’ Health Study, whereas men aged 40 to 75 were recruited for the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
From 1986 for a maximum of 30 years, the team evaluated participant data every 4 years. Anyone with a major chronic illness at the beginning of the study was disqualified. Over 105,000 people were enrolled in the final study population, comprising approximately 70,000 women and 35,000 men.On March 24, 2025, the findings were published in Nature Medicine.
Using self-reported eating patterns, the researchers first looked at how closely each participant followed eight distinct healthy diet patterns. These included the Planetary Health Diet Index, the MIND diet, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), which was backed by the NIH, and a Mediterranean diet. While lowering intakes of red or processed meats and added sweets, all of the diets promote the consumption of plant-based foods, unsaturated fats, nuts, and legumes. Fish and low-fat dairy products are examples of nutritious animal-based foods that are included in certain.
The researchers also examined ultra-processed food consumption. High-fructose corn syrup, flavorings, harmful fats, and emulsifiers are examples of industrially produced substances commonly found in such foods.
The group then evaluated the links between following each dietary pattern and aging well when one is 70 years of age or older. They discovered that 9,800 persons, or more than 9% of the participants, had reached healthy aging. In other words, they had favorable cognitive, physical, and mental health metrics and were free of significant chronic diseases.
The people who had most closely followed the Alternative Healthy Eating Index were most likely to experience healthy aging by age 70. By the age of 75, the same was true. The likelihood of good aging was also increased for participants who largely followed any of the other healthy eating guidelines.
“Ours takes a multifaceted view, asking, how does diet impact people’s ability to live independently and enjoy a good quality of life as they age.” “Studies have previously investigated dietary patterns in the context of specific diseases or how long people live,” Hu says, adding that those who consumed more trans fats, salt, sugary drinks, red or processed meats had a 32% lower chance of healthy aging, while those who consumed more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy had a higher chance of healthy aging, regardless of their specific diet.
Source:NIH
