Your diet at 40 could impact your quality of life at 70: Study

Story at a glance (NewsNation) — A new study suggests that what you eat in your 40s may lead to better physical and cognitive health in your 70s. Researchers at Harvard examined 30 years of data on over 106,000 people, including 70,467 women and 36,464 men. All participants were free of chronic disease and at least...

Story at a glance

• Researchers at Harvard examined 30 years of data on over 100,000 people.

• Participants who closely followed a healthy eating pattern had higher odds of aging well.

• Diets high in trans fat, sodium and processed meats were associated with lower odds of healthy aging.

(NewsNation) — A new study suggests that what you eat in your 40s may lead to better physical and cognitive health in your 70s.

Researchers at Harvard examined 30 years of data on over 106,000 people, including 70,467 women and 36,464 men. All participants were free of chronic disease and at least 39 years old at the beginning of the study in 1986.

They defined "health aging" as surviving to at least age 70 with good cognitive, mental and physical health, and without chronic diseases.

Participants who closely followed a healthy eating pattern were associated with 43% to 84% higher chances of aging well compared with those who did not. Diets of trans fat, sodium, total meats, red and processed meats were associated with lower odds of healthy aging, according to the study.

"People who adhered to healthy dietary patterns in midlife, especially those rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats, were significantly more likely to achieve healthy aging. “This suggests that what you eat in midlife can play a big role in how well you age," said Anne-Julie Tessier, the study’s author and postdoctoral fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Researchers found that half of the participants had died, with 9.2% surviving to age 70 or older free of disease and unimpaired physical and cognitive health. 

The link between diet and healthy aging remained strong even after adjusting for factors like physical activity, the study said.

The study was presented at Nutrition 2024, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Tessier noted that while the study has not yet been published in a journal, it is currently under peer review, Tessier said.