Healthy Diet at Midlife Leads to Healthier Aging
When you hear that health is wealth, believe it. Chronic illnesses not only cost you money, but also valuable time with family and friends. Modern science can keep us alive for years with ventilators and dialysis, but is that quality of life?
A recent study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, and University of Montreal discovered that eating a nutritious diet containing lots of plant-based foods, low to moderate consumption of healthy animal-based foods, and minimal ultra-processed foods was associated with a higher likelihood of aging healthfully. Healthy aging is characterized by reaching age 70 and being free of major chronic diseases. Your physical, cognitive, and mental health are all intact.
Frank Hu, Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School, and co-corresponding author of the study notes, "Studies have previously investigated dietary patterns in the context of specific diseases or how long people live. 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?"
The study was published March 24 in Nature Medicine.
Data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study were used to evaluate the midlife diets and eventual health of over 105,000 women and men aged 39 to 69 over 30 years.
Subjects regularly filled out diet questionnaires, which the researchers scored on how well participants followed eight healthy diet 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 diet stresses high intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, and legumes. Some also focused on low to moderate consumption of lean or low-fat animal-based foods such as fish and some dairy products. The researchers also evaluated subjects’ intake of industrially manufactured, ultra-processed foods. These typically contain more artificial ingredients, added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats.
Research results showed that 9.3% of the study population (9,771 subjects) were healthy. Following any one of the health diet patterns was associated with overall healthy aging and resulted in better cognitive, physical, and mental health.
The most beneficial healthy diet was the AHEI, which was created to prevent chronic diseases. Subjects in the highest quintile of the AHEI score had an 86% higher likelihood of aging healthfully at 70 years and a 2.2-fold higher chance of healthy aging at 75 years, unlike those in the lowest quintile of the AHEI score.
The AHEI diet stresses more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and healthy fats. It’s also low in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, sodium, and refined grains. The PHDI is also a leading diet for healthy aging. It factors human and environmental health by encouraging more plant-based foods and limiting animal-based foods.
Lower chances of healthy aging were noted with higher intake of ultra-processed foods, especially processed meat and sugary and diet beverages.
"Since staying active and independent is a priority for both individuals and public health, 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."
Lead author Anne-Julie Tessier, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Montreal, researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute, and visiting scientist at Harvard Chan School noted, “Our findings also show that there is no one-size-fits-all diet. Healthy diets can be adapted to fit individual needs and preferences”.
One limitation of the study was that the study population consisted of only health professionals, who may have higher education and socioeconomic status. The researchers suggest repeating the study in populations with diverse socioeconomic statuses and cultures would provide more information about generalizing these findings.
Start eating more healthfully now! Below are some tips:
· Add vegetables to most meals. Include veggies in eggs, with hummus as a snack, or a big green salad with dinner.
· Include a variety of seasonal fruit daily. Apples, berries, citrus fruit, stone fruit, or tropical fruit like mango or pineapple are delicious.
· Think outside the box. Skip the frozen meals and snacks when you can.
· Avoid fast food. Most is high in unhealthy fats, sodium, and sugar.
· Choose water over sugar-sweetened or artificially-sweetened drinks. It’s cheaper and your kidneys and waistline will thank you!
· Go for avocado oil, canola oil, or olive oil when cooking. Reduce use of butter, lard, and beef tallow.
· Regularly include beans and legumes in your diet. Beans can be added to salads, soup, and grain dishes, or as a side dish.
· Repeat Meatless Monday a few days of the week! It’s better for your heart and wallet.
· Try dried fruit with nut butter for a sweet treat in place of ultraprocessed cookies and pastries.
· Use low-fat dairy products in place of full-fat to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol.
Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD
Reference:
Anne-Julie Tessier, Fenglei Wang, Andres Ardisson Korat, A. Heather Eliassen, Jorge Chavarro, Francine Grodstein, Jun Li, Liming Liang, Walter C. Willett, Qi Sun, Meir J. Stampfer, Frank B. Hu & Marta Guasch-Ferr�. Optimal dietary patterns for healthy aging. Nature Medicine, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03570-5
