A new study, published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine, follows more than 100,000 American women over a period of approximately 30 years.
Participants were regularly asked about their dietary habits, providing researchers with a solid data foundation, according to Videnskab.dk.
The researchers examined which dietary patterns are associated with what they define as healthy aging.
Healthy aging refers to reaching at least the age of 70 without serious diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, while maintaining physical and mental function.
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No single right diet
The study compares eight different dietary approaches, including the Mediterranean diet and the EAT-Lancet diet.
The results show that there is no single diet that is clearly better than the others.
According to Associate Professor Daniel Ibsen from the Department of Public Health and the Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, who has reviewed the study and commented on it to Videnskab.dk, it is particularly the similarities between the diets that matter.
The dietary patterns that perform best include large amounts of plant-based foods and less red and processed meat.
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Many factors play a role
The study cannot prove that diet directly causes healthy aging.
The findings are based on statistical associations, and other factors such as physical activity, smoking, and social conditions also play a role.
Nevertheless, the research suggests that a varied diet with a focus on plant-based foods can increase the likelihood of a healthy life in old age.
Not as a guarantee, but as part of a broader picture.
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Sources: Videnskab.dk, and Nature Medicine.
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