Nutrition: The diet that can make us live 10 years longer

Using innovative methods, the researchers combined and compared the results of dozens of previous studies on diet and longevity in populations from the United States, China, and Europe, including the famous Global Burden of Disease Study (2019).

Using this model, they studied how certain food groups can affect our life expectancy, in order to design the optimal diet for living longer.

Taking the typical North American diet as a reference (with high consumption of red meat and ultra-processed foods high in sugar), experts say the ideal diet would consist of reducing consumption of these products, replacing refined flour with whole grains and increasing consumption of vegetables and nuts.

And although it may seem strange that fruits, vegetables and fish are not at the top of this food ranking, they certainly continue to have very positive effects on our health. But their consumption in a typical diet is not as low as that of vegetables or whole grains. Therefore, their effect in this form is weaker, experts say.

Other food groups studied may have a neutral effect. This is the case for white meat, eggs, and vegetable oils, which do not appear to have significant effects on longevity. The exception is olive oil, which plays a protective role for our health.

According to this study, making these dietary changes at age 20 can extend our lives from 10 to 13 years, while doing so at age 60 will make us live up to 8 years longer.

And while the benefits are greater the earlier you adopt the ideal diet, even people in their late 80s can significantly extend their lives, by about 3.5 years. But these changes must be maintained for at least 10 years to achieve maximum effect.

Incorporating new habits can be a real challenge, but experts point out that even partial changes can extend our lives by 7 years if we start before the age of 30.

Thanks to a data integration model, the researchers developed the “Food 4 Healthy Life” application, an online calculator that makes it possible to estimate the number of years we will live according to our diet, gender and age. . With this simple tool, we can estimate how our life expectancy will increase based on the dietary changes we can make.

This model did not take into account any pre-existing conditions, genetic factors, or other lifestyle changes, such as physical exercise and alcohol or tobacco consumption.

It also does not consider how changing medical treatments or reducing calories in the ideal diet would affect longevity. Remember, studies show that caloric restriction is associated with increased life expectancy and reduced cellular stress.

The outlook is generic, yet robust and relevant to the general population. Knowledge is power, and as the authors say, “Knowing the protective potential of different foods can help us make decisions that are affordable and good for our health.”

The ideal diet in this study had many similar characteristics to the Mediterranean diet, particularly with regard to the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and legumes.

Important studies such as PREDIMED indicate that the high consumption of fiber and the presence of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules in these foods could be the source of the anti-aging effect of the Mediterranean diet.

The health benefits of this diet mainly focus on preventing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer, which are causes of premature death in the population.

It is therefore not surprising that the population of countries such as Italy, France and Spain are among the longest-lived in the world. In fact, Spain could top the world longevity rankings by 2040, according to a study by the University of Washington, USA.

But we must not be negligent, because the influence of the North American diet, which is increasingly present in our daily lives, may end up destroying the life expectancy of our future generations.

Freddie Mercury in Queen’s famous song lamented our inability to escape fate and our death. But this study shows us that we can play an active role in our health with what we eat.

Although there is still much to be studied about the relationship between diet and longevity, several insights seem clear: When it comes to diet, every small change matters and it’s never too late if the change is for the better.

* Sandra López Dominic is a postdoctoral researcher in endocrinology and nutrition at the Fisabio Foundation in Spain.

This article was originally published on the academic news site The Conversation and is republished under a Creative Commons license.