How the diet shapes healthy ageing

The Hindu

31-05-2025

Across the world, the population of older adults has increased over time. And over 80% of them suffer from at least one chronic health disorder. The U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organisation (WHO) point out that promoting global health is a priority. They both point out that a better-quality diet is beneficial for the prevention of heart attacks, diabetes and premature death.
The Mediterranean Diet, much lauded by health researchers as an ideal one, uses plant-based foods — vegetables, fruits, legumes and natural oils, moderate amounts of poultry and eggs — and avoids red meat. People there who practice this diet do live longer and healthier lives. Indeed, a typical food in India, with wheat or rice, dal, sabji with lots of greens, and curd/buttermilk, (and for non-vegetarians: eggs and fish but little or no meat), is essentially Mediterranean.
Towards this, two recent articles highlight the best food that we should take for healthy ageing. One in the April 3 issue of the journal Nature, titled 'The Best and Worst Foods for Healthy Ageing', points out that people who eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables are more likely to reach the age of 70 without major physical or cognitive impairments. This article offers the advice that the recommendation to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables is well-founded: a large-scale 30-year study on dietary habits shows that diets high in these foods are associated with healthier ageing.
The massive study itself is published in Nature Medicine, titled 'Optimal dietary patterns for healthy ageing'. The message here is 'get more fibre in your diet, eat more vegetables, pulses such as beans, lentils, and eat less fats and animal meat', suggesting that this practice will help senior citizens live a healthier life. In this study, health experts from the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Denmark analysed data from two major studies: the Nurses' Health Study (tracking hospital workers and medical professionals) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (examining men's diet and lifestyle linked to serious illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases).
By looking at the records of 70,000 women and 30,000 men, they uncovered key insights into how our eating habits affect our health. A healthful plant-based diet was seen to be highly associated with healthy ageing.
Researchers examined how long-term adherence to plant-rich dietary patterns, moderately supplemented with healthy animal-based foods, enhances healthy ageing. They examined the association between eight healthy dietary patterns.
One, called Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), focuses on a scoring system that evaluates diet quality based on its alignment with recommendations for a healthy diet (greens, low fat, low sugar, and avoid foods causing cancer and high blood pressure). The second, called the Alternate Mediterranean Index (aMED), is adapted for populations outside of the Mediterranean region, and offers long term benefits for the elderly.
The third, called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), is primarily focused on controlling high blood pressure. Others, such as the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) and healthful plant-based Diet (hPDI), also emphasise a plant-rich and nutrient-dense diet that avoids highly processed foods.
In summary, the groups suggest that a diet with plant-rich foods, plus a moderate amount of animal-based foods, is best for living longer and healthier.