A new study, headed by scientist Andres Ardisson Korat at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, illustrates just how much our dietary choices matter. This study shows how important those decisions are for aging well. This study published in JAMA Network Open emphasizes how essential high-quality carbohydrates are for midlife older women’s health. It further highlights the role of dietary fiber in their diet.
Another key finding showed that eating more healthy carbohydrates from whole grains, veggies and legumes greatly increases your odds of aging in good health. In fact, it is associated with an amazing 37% increase! Every 5% increase in energy from refined carbohydrates reduces the odds of healthy aging by 13%. Consuming high amounts of starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn, reduces healthy aging chances by 10%.
Ardisson Korat and his team focused on the dietary habits of midlife women, concluding that the quality of carbohydrates consumed significantly affects long-term health outcomes. Swapping refined carbohydrates for higher-quality options more than doubles (by 116%) the odds of becoming a healthy ager, researchers found. This new discovery underscores the need for healthier eating patterns.
“Our study showed that consuming high-quality carbohydrates is favorably linked with healthy aging, and on the same line, consuming carbohydrates from refined sources is linked to lower chances of becoming a healthy ager.” – Andres Ardisson Korat, ScD
Ardisson Korat emphasized the need to look at dietary carbohydrate quality. He pointed out that healthy aging is particularly important to older adults. It helps them achieve personal goals, integrates them into civic and family life, and enables them to lead productive and independent lives. He noted that health limits or disability can put caregiving demands on, and be costly for, families.
Sheryl Ross, MD, a certified OB/GYN and Women’s Health Expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, commented on the study’s findings. She highlighted that although the nationwide findings are surprising, they are consistent with what we already know about the effects of lifestyle choices on our health.
“Lifestyle modifications including eating a healthy diet, regular exercising, limiting alcohol consumption, sleeping seven hours a night, minimizing stress, and not smoking are ways to improve your longevity and support healthy aging.” – Sheryl Ross, MD
Studies find that midlife diets full of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes increase your odds of aging well. You might be surprised by an average increase of 6-37%! Dr. Ross strongly believes that negative lifestyle choices such as smoking and a bad diet cause chronic diseases. These conditions severely affect the process of aging.
“Harmful, and avoidable, lifestyle habits include smoking, inactivity, eating an unhealthy diet (including fast food!), excessive alcohol consumption, and not sleeping well contribute to heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, certain cancers, and cognitive decline.” – Sheryl Ross, MD
Given the importance of these findings, experts advise realistic strategies to help boost dietary fiber consumption. Recommended snacks are dried fruits with no added sugars, nuts and seeds, including sunflower kernels and flaxseed. Create healthy culinary habits that maintain the phytonutrient value of the produce you prepare! Relish it fresh in salads or steam it gently to reap its health benefits!
Beyond the basics described above, registered dietitian nutritionist Monique Richard further emphasized learning to identify food types. She said the message is that not all carbohydrates are equal and encouraging people to really read ingredients when deciding what to eat.
“Keep in mind that not all carbohydrates are created equal. Looking at ingredients and understanding food groups will be important in making optimal choices.” – Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN
A growing body of research underscores the role that dietary quality plays in supporting health as we age. This underlines the importance of empowering people to make informed decisions about their food. Ardisson Korat added that informing more people about how dietary habits affect health could make a powerful difference in how we age.
“What’s more, in this study, we looked at the relationship between increasing high-quality carbohydrates while decreasing refined carbohydrates with healthy aging. We found that this replacement — more high-quality carbohydrates, less refined carbohydrates — is associated with 16% higher likelihood of becoming a healthy ager.” – Andres Ardisson Korat, ScD
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