Want to age healthily? Here's what science says you should eat.

What is the secret to a long and healthy life? Catalan supercentenarian grandmother Maria Branyas, who until passed away last August She was the longest-lived person in the world, she had it clear: "order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, not having worries, regret, being positive and staying away from toxic people."

To this recipe that she herself gave to Guinness Book of Records in 2023, Recently science added other ingredients: exceptional genetics and a gut microbiota more typical of a child than a person her age. Both factors are related to a healthy lifestyle and a healthy, balanced diet. And that's, in fact, exactly what Branyas followed: she didn't smoke or drink, she stayed active, and followed a Mediterranean diet.

Now, a new study led by the Catalan nutritionist Marta Guasch, a researcher at the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen and an adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard University, confirms that eating a healthy diet rich in plant-based foods such as legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and nuts, with a moderate amount of animal products, and enjoying the ultra-pro.

According to the conclusions of the study, that the magazine collects Nature MedicineFollowing a dietary pattern with these characteristics during middle age is associated with a higher likelihood of aging healthily. What does this mean? After age 70, being able to live an independent life, free from chronic illness, enjoying good mental and physical health, with intact cognitive faculties.

"It's not only important to live longer, but also to maintain good health in later life," Guasch said in an interview with ARA. For this reason, he explains, they considered "how diet impacted people's ability to live independently and enjoy a good quality of life as they grew older."

More fruits and vegetables

Guasch and his team based their research on data from a study of 105,000 U.S. healthcare professionals, both physicians and nurses, who were followed for 30 years. At the start of the study, the participants—approximately 35,000 men and 70,000 women—were between 39 and 69 years old, and over time they completed comprehensive questionnaires about their lifestyle, diet, and health status.

The researchers focused on evaluating eight eating patterns, all of which are linked to healthy aging and designed to prevent disease, such as the DASH diet, designed to lower high blood pressure, and the MIND diet, designed to prevent neurodegenerative diseases.

All the patterns had in common that they were based on a high intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, legumes, and nuts; and some of the guidelines incorporated a low to moderate portion of healthy animal foods, such as eggs or fish, and some dairy products.

After analyzing all the data, they found that only 9.3% of all participants had reached the age of 70 free of chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease, and with good physical and mental health.

The pattern most associated with healthy aging was the AHEI, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index; a proposal designed years ago by Harvard University and aimed at preventing chronic non-communicable diseases.

This diet was linked to an 86% higher probability of reaching age 70 in good shape. And of still being healthy at 75.

"This diet probably came about because the study participants were American. If we had done it with a Catalan population, the association would have been with the Mediterranean diet," notes Guasch, who emphasizes the importance of people being able to follow a culturally appropriate eating pattern.

Less meat and ultra-processed foods

Likewise, the researchers also evaluated the consumption of ultra-processed foods, rich in added sugars, salt, and saturated fats, and their impact on health. They found a strong association between a higher intake of these types of products and a lower likelihood of reaching old age in optimal health.

In addition to the AHEI pattern, Guasch highlights that the study also found that the Planetary Health Diet Index, which takes into account sustainable and beneficial foods for humans, is also related to better odds of healthy aging. This is one of the new lines of research that this Catalan researcher will now focus on. She will also try to understand the mechanisms that explain this association between following a dietary pattern very similar to the Mediterranean in the Middle Ages and aging well. "It probably has to do with the fact that this pattern improves all the protective indicators against chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative ones," notes Guasch, who emphasizes that it's never too late to start eating well. "If you improve your diet, you'll be more likely to avoid having to take cholesterol pills," she says.