Imagine two people in the 1970s. The two are active, live independently and enjoy life. But over the next 15 years, one of them develops two or three chronic diseases – heart disease, diabetes, depression – while the other remains relatively healthy. What made the difference?
According to our new research, diet can be a key element of the response.
In our new study, our group at the Aging Research Center of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden followed more than 2,400 Swedish adults older for 15 years.
We found that people who regularly ate a healthy diet developed chronic diseases more slowly, unlike those whose food was considered more inflammatory; In other words, diets rich in transformed meats, refined grains and sugary drinks, which are known to promote chronic inflammation of low grade in the body.
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This is important because having several health problems at the same time is one of the biggest problems that the elderly faces. It increases the risk of invalidity, hospitalization and early death.
It also imposes a huge burden for health systems. But although it has been known for a long time that the diet can help prevent individual diseases, our study shows that it can also influence the overall pace of biological aging.
We have examined four well -known diets. Three of them – the mental diet (designed to protect the health of the brain), the alternative index of healthy food (based on foods linked to a lower risk of disease) and the Mediterranean diet – were associated with a slower accumulation of diseases. The fourth, a diet rich in inflammatory food, was linked to faster accumulation.
The strongest associations were observed in cardiovascular and psychiatric conditions. Thus, people who ate better were less likely to develop diseases, including heart failure, cerebral vascular accidents, depression or dementia.
However, we did not find a clear link between food and musculoskeletal diseases such as arthritis or osteoporosis.
Some of the advantages of healthy food have been more pronounced in women and older participants: 78 and over. This suggests that it is never too late to make changes. Even in very old life, the diet is important.
Why does food have such a strong potential? One reason can be inflammation. As people are aging, many develop chronic low -grade inflammation – sometimes called “inflammat” – which is linked to a wide range of diseases. Diets rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats tend to reduce inflammation. The diets rich in food and highly processed sugar are the opposite.
Another reason is that healthy diets support the body’s resilience. They provide essential nutrients that help maintain immune function, muscle mass and cognitive health. Over time, it can make a big difference in the way people age.
Our study is one of the longest and most complete of its kind. We have used repeated food assessments and followed more than 60 chronic health problems. We have also tested our results using different analytical methods to make sure they have held.
Of course, the diet is just a piece of the puzzle. Physical activity, social ties and access to health care all play important roles in healthy aging. But improving the quality of food is a relatively simple and accessible way to help the elderly live a longer and healthier life.
So what should the elderly eat? The message is clear: eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and whole grains. Choose healthy fats such as oil and rapeseed fish. Limit red and transformed meats, sugary drinks and solid fats.
These are the constituent elements of the diets that we have studied – and they have been associated with slower aging, better brain health and less chronic diseases in this research and in others.
Aging is inevitable. But people can shape how it goes. Our results suggest that even small changes in food can make a significant difference in the way people are living in life later, regardless of their age.
Adrián Carballo Casla, postdoctoral researcher in geriatric epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet; Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga, associate professor at the Agging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, and David Abbad Gomez, Doctorate, Department of Epidemiology and Evaluation, Research Institute of Del Mar, Barcelona
This article is republished from the conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
