Eating More Of This May Lower Risk Of Death By 10%, Study Suggests

It seems there is always new data on the way our diet affects our health, and occasionally, a study goes as far as to say that eating certain foods may actually improve life expectancy—which is really quite amazing when you think of it.

ALA is a type of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in plants like soybeans, nuts, and flaxseed—and it's believed to be the very reason these types of foods may contribute to longevity.

Though risk of death was lower, especially due to those two defined causes, the researchers did note that higher ALA intake was also associated with a slightly higher risk of cancer. Specifically, they found that there were 63 extra cancer deaths in the groups with the highest compared to the lower levels of ALA intake.

They also point out that, though many studies were considered, they were observational studies, which means it's not possible to claim causality. So while there may be a link between higher ALA intake and lower risk of death, based on this data, researchers can't say for certain that eating more foods with ALA will promote longevity.