Healthy aging? Start with good nutrition from the age of 40 and stay healthy until the age of 70
Research shows that people who eat healthy from the age of 40 are more likely to grow old healthily. This comes from a large study of more than 100.000 middle-aged Americans that was followed for 30 years. The results were presented during NUTRITION 2024, a conference of the American Society for Nutrition.
Scientists from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston studied data from 30 people for 106.000 years. The participants were at least 39 years old when the study began and had no chronic diseases. Every four years they completed questionnaires about what they ate. After 30 years, almost half of the participants had died. Only 9 percent reached the age of 70 or older, without chronic diseases and in good health.
Benefits of healthy eating
People who ate healthily from the age of 40 had a greater chance of growing old healthily. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, nuts, legumes and low-fat dairy was especially helpful. Eating a lot of trans fats, salt and meat (especially red and processed meat) actually reduced the chance of healthy aging.
Different healthy diet patterns
The researchers looked at various healthy eating patterns. The diet that most closely resembled the American dietary guidelines was the best, with an 84 percent greater chance of healthy aging. Other good diets included the Planetary Health Diet, the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet and the MIND diet (a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets). The link between healthy diet and healthy aging remained strong, even when exercise was taken into account.
Unique research
This research is special because it not only looked at the prevention of diseases, but also at being able to live independently with a good quality of life.
Source: American Society for Nutrition
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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Only eat healthy after the age of 39? Well, then my mother knew better. At home it was all healthy and fresh and we, the children, were also impressed by this. I also turned the string bean grinder...
So 106.000 people aged 39+ were followed and half of them died after 30 years. Only 9 percent live to be 70 years old. I think these are sad figures! What do those Americans cover their food with?
I think you have to watch your food for life, your pita minnes, your fresh food, moderate alcohol and no smoking or drugs, and exercise well so that you stay fit. I am now 77 and have no intention of going into the coffin yet...
Right Erik, I take spirulina every day and I still feel 59 years old. At least I don't know yet what getting older means. You should also take supplements on time, D3, C, B, etc. Greetings to all readers
Dear Erik,
You read it wrong, it says: Only 9 percent live to be 70 years old, without chronic diseases. So only 9 percent remains healthy.
It is known that Americans eat a lot of processed food, such as donuts, pizza, chips, fries, etc. And drink it with cola. That causes insulin resistance and you get all kinds of nasty diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. You will eventually pay a price for that….
Of course you also have to eat healthily before the age of 40, everyone understands that, but young people usually don't worry about that, just like they don't worry about pension provision. That's all far away.
Because we are aging rapidly, it is important for our seniors to stay healthy for a long time, because there will be less and less medical care available in the future. In the Netherlands you already have to wait 3 months before you can have surgery and that will only get worse. This means that there will also be less and less space in nursing homes.
So staying healthy for a long time is a wise choice.
I don't have to watch my weight when I stay in Thailand. In contrast, in the Netherlands I easily gain 5kg after a month's stay.
How come?
The good weather in Thailand encourages me to be outside as much as possible and to keep moving without too much effort. There is a daily market to get fresh unprocessed food. Preparing a fresh Thai meal at home doesn't have to take more than 10-20 minutes.
On the other hand, in the Netherlands I go to the supermarket more often, where the range of processed food is enormous. The Dutch menu [2x bread meal] also invites you to consume more processed and sugary foods. Due to the bad weather I have to make more effort to get the necessary exercise.
What am I missing in Thailand?
There is sufficient supply of legumes for vegetable protein and fiber. Unfortunately, legumes are not popular in Thailand. You only see them in certain desserts. I can't get my partner to eat more legumes yet. I also miss a good range of fiber-rich breads. Fortunately, my partner has a talent for baking bread at home.
Well Eddy go to the market to get unprocessed and fresh food.
What I see happening around me while living in the countryside is that insecticides and other types of chemical liquids are regularly used on all kinds of vegetables.
Right next to our detached utility room is an adjacent plot full of logan trees.
And I regularly have to leave the kitchen around seven o'clock in the morning because of the stench of pesticides and other chemicals in order to get the logans bigger on the tree.
Jan Beute.
What? You have to eat healthy to stay healthy and only do that from the age of forty? That's what an American study says? Incredible!
Nobody knew that, did they?
You should look at American recipes on a website like Pinterest. I think most of the dishes consist of calorie bombs, often with cheese as the main ingredient.
So you can still eat whatever you want until you're forty and be a “big guy” weighing 200 kilos, as long as you start eating healthily from the age of forty.
Here in Thailand they seem to have heard that too... the number of fat young people and the many sugar-related diseases speak for themselves.