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How To Add Up To 10 Years To Your Life, According To Research
When it comes to longevity, what we put into our bodies matters. The food we eat determines so many aspects of our health, and according to research published in the journal Nature Food1, switching to a healthier diet can add literal years to your life. Here's what to know.
Studying dietary habits and their relationship to longevity
For this study, an international team of researchers and specialists wanted to assess how diet influences longevity, and namely, whether making healthy changes to your diet in middle age makes a difference in the long run.
Spoiler alert: It does—and a big difference at that.
Using data from the UK Biobank study, a large and long-term study on various genetic and environmental health factors, the researchers analyzed data from half a million participants in the UK who were between 40 and 69 years old when the study began in 2006.
Looking at these participants' eating habits, the researchers were primarily interested in the impact that dietary changes made on longevity. And when it came to the people who were able to sustain a shift from unhealthy to healthy eating patterns in middle age, they were also able to increase their life span—by nearly 10 years on average.
What to do about it
These findings should come as great news to anyone interested in increasing their life span, or simply living well for longer. And while it's never too late to make healthy dietary changes, the study authors do note that switching later in life can add years but not as many as if you make the switch in middle age (aka—the sooner you start eating healthy, the better).
You might also be wondering how this study defined a "healthy eating pattern," so we'll add here that the researchers were using the UK's "EatWell Guide," which prioritizes whole foods, balanced portions, and minimally processed foods.
"The largest gains are obtained from consuming more whole grains, nuts, and fruits and fewer sugar-sweetened beverages and processed meats," the study authors note.
For more information on how to achieve and sustain a healthy diet, check out our full guide to the Mediterranean diet (which is consistently ranked the best overall in the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking), as well as the top four diets for longevity.
The takeaway
When tackling your health and longevity feels overwhelming, it's never a bad idea to go back to basics. There are so many new and innovative ways to biohack your way to a longer life—but when it comes to the fundamentals of food, eating clean and making healthy choices on your plate is often what makes the biggest difference.
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