{"id":18054,"date":"2025-08-06T08:39:46","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T12:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/?p=18054"},"modified":"2025-08-06T08:39:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T12:39:47","slug":"what-to-eat-to-age-in-good-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/en\/2025\/08\/06\/what-to-eat-to-age-in-good-health\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Eat to Age in Good Health?"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"wp-block-borealisaurora-aurora-custom-block-posts-resume\">\n    <div class=\"aurora-custom-block-posts-resume\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"title\">\n                <h2>Overview<\/h2>\n            <\/div>\n                <div class=\"content\" >\n                \n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Healthy aging can be defined as reaching at least the age of 70 without major chronic diseases and without impairment in cognitive function, physical function, or mental health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The long-term follow-up of individuals in their 50s has shown that a diet rich in plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts) and low in animal-based and industrially processed products is strongly associated with a higher likelihood of healthy aging, both physically and mentally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<p>Life expectancy has increased considerably over the past century, to the point where a child born today in a wealthy society like ours can, on average, expect to live to age 85. However, these additional years are not necessarily spent in good health: for most people, the last 10 to 15 years of life are often marked by the onset of multiple chronic diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia), which significantly reduce quality of life and diminish the true benefits of a longer lifespan. According to many experts (see&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jama\/fullarticle\/2703112\">here<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.acpjournals.org\/doi\/10.7326\/M18-1609\">here<\/a>, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/10.1056\/NEJM198007173030304?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&amp;rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&amp;rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed\">here<\/a>, for example), the primary goal should not be merely to extend lifespan, but rather to improve the&nbsp;<em>healthspan<\/em>\u2014the number of years lived in good health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Silent Development<\/strong><br>Although chronic diseases usually manifest in old age, they do not appear suddenly. In reality, being diagnosed with a cardiometabolic disease, cancer, or dementia at age 60, 70, or 80 is often the result of a long process that began decades earlier. This means that the \u201cfoundation\u201d of these diseases is often laid in midlife\u2014especially in the 40s and 50s (or even earlier)\u2014and that these conditions progress slowly and silently, without noticeable symptoms, toward more advanced stages. Preventing or at least slowing this gradual development is therefore essential to increasing the chances of aging in good health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Role of Lifestyle<\/strong><br>This is where lifestyle comes in. It has long been known that exposure to toxic substances (tobacco, excessive alcohol), metabolic imbalances (poor diet, obesity, inactivity), and psychological stress (chronic stress, depression) can lead to oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and insulin resistance\u2014all of which promote chronic disease and reduce quality of life. On the other hand, studies show that a generally healthy lifestyle (no smoking, regular physical activity, plant-rich diet, normal body weight, moderate alcohol consumption) is associated with a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahajournals.org\/doi\/10.1161\/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.032047\">12- to 14-year increase in life expectancy<\/a>\u2014most of those additional years being lived in good health,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/368\/bmj.l6669\">free from chronic disease<\/a>. There is therefore clearly a wide window of time in which it is possible to actively intervene to slow the development of diseases that compromise healthy life expectancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Diet as a Cornerstone of Healthy Aging<\/strong><br>Among all lifestyle factors, diet likely plays a central role.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(19)30041-8\/fulltext\">Poor diet is the leading global risk factor for premature death<\/a>from non-communicable diseases, responsible for at least 11&nbsp;million deaths per year\u2014more than tobacco (8&nbsp;million). Conversely, observational and interventional studies consistently show that a high-quality diet reduces the risk of cardiometabolic diseases and early death.<br>Overall, research indicates that&nbsp;low intake of plant-based foods&nbsp;(fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains), combined with&nbsp;excessive intake of sodium, red and processed meats, and ultra-processed industrial foods, is most strongly associated with a higher risk of chronic disease and early death. Therefore, increasing consumption of plant-based foods while reducing intake of animal and ultra-processed foods likely represents the most effective strategy to prevent chronic diseases and increase the chances of aging in good health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Optimal Diets<\/strong><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-025-03570-5\">A large-scale study<\/a>&nbsp;involving 105,015 healthcare professionals in their 50s, followed for up to 30 years, illustrates the long-term impact of diet on healthy aging.<br>In the study (led by Dr.&nbsp;Anne-Julie Tessier, now a researcher at the EPIC Centre), participants were considered to have aged in good health if they lived to at least age 70 without any of 11 major chronic diseases (including cancer, diabetes, heart attack, coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, COPD, multiple sclerosis, ALS), and without impairment in cognitive, physical, or mental health.<br>Although a significant number of participants reached some of these benchmarks,&nbsp;fewer than 10% met all the criteria for healthy aging&nbsp;(see Table 1). Among those who lived to at least 70, however,&nbsp;25% succeeded\u2014and can be considered to have aged in good health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-159\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-159\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Aging domains<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">Number of participants<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">Percentage of all participants <br \/>\n(n=105,015)<br \/>\n<\/th><th class=\"column-4\">Percentage of participants <br \/>\nwho survived to 70 years old<br \/>\n(n=39,769)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Survived to 70 years old<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">39,769<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">37.9%<\/td><td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Intact cognitive health<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">35,555<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">33.9%<\/td><td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Intact physical health<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">29,543<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">28.1%<\/td><td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Intact mental health<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">27,842<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">26.5%<\/td><td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Free of chronic diseases<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">23,908<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">22.8%<\/td><td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Overall healthy aging<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">9,771<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">9.3%<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">25%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-159 from cache -->\n\n\n<p><strong>Table 1.<\/strong>&nbsp;Achievement of various healthy aging criteria among study participants in their 50s (average age = 53) (n = 105,015). Note that among individuals who reached age 70, about one quarter can be considered healthy older adults. Source:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-025-03570-5\">Tessier et al. (2025)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The analysis of participants\u2019 eating habits throughout the study (from their 50s into older age) identified&nbsp;eight major dietary patterns&nbsp;that were associated with a greater likelihood of meeting the different criteria for healthy aging (Table 2).<br>To simplify, we chose to focus on&nbsp;five main types of diets&nbsp;that share several common features\u2014particularly a strong emphasis on&nbsp;plant-based foods&nbsp;and a&nbsp;low or zero intake of animal products and added sugars&nbsp;(such as soft drinks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"447\" src=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-1-description-diets-ENG-1024x447.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18056\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-1-description-diets-ENG-1024x447.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-1-description-diets-ENG-300x131.jpg 300w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-1-description-diets-ENG-768x335.jpg 768w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-1-description-diets-ENG-1536x670.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-1-description-diets-ENG-2048x893.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Table 2.<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Main dietary patterns associated with increased chances of healthy aging.<\/strong><br>Over a 30-year follow-up, participants were regularly surveyed about the frequency of their consumption of specific foods over the previous 12 months. Based on their reported dietary and nutritional intake, eight dietary pattern scores were calculated, five of which are included in this table: the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0022316622027894?via%3Dihub\">Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)<\/a>,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0002916523295246?via%3Dihub\">Alternative Mediterranean Diet Index<\/a><strong>&nbsp;(<\/strong>aMED),<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/nejm200101043440101\">Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)<\/a>,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC4581900\/\">Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND)<\/a>,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>and the<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ajcn.nutrition.org\/article\/S0002-9165(24)00389-7\/abstract\">Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI)<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although each diet has its own particularities, they all share the common characteristic of emphasizing&nbsp;high intake of plant-based foods&nbsp;and&nbsp;reduced consumption of red meat, processed meats, and sugary drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When comparing healthy aging outcomes between quintile 5 (the 20% with the highest adherence) and quintile 1 (the 20% with the lowest adherence) for each of these diets, a&nbsp;significant increase in the likelihood of meeting all healthy aging criteria<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>was observed in all cases (Figure 1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"717\" src=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-2-diets-ENG-1024x717.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-2-diets-ENG-1024x717.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-2-diets-ENG-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-2-diets-ENG-768x538.jpg 768w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-2-diets-ENG-1536x1075.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-2-diets-ENG.jpg 1794w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Figure 1.<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Association Between Different Dietary Patterns and the Likelihood of Healthy Aging.<\/strong>&nbsp;The values represent comparisons between the highest (Q5) and lowest (Q1) adherence scores for each of the diets described in Table 2. Source:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-025-03570-5\">Tessier et al. (2025)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These results indicate that a diet&nbsp;rich in plant-based foods&nbsp;(fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes) and&nbsp;low in meats, processed meats, and foods with added sugars&nbsp;is the combination most likely to promote healthy aging\u2014both physically and mentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notably, the&nbsp;positive effect was especially pronounced&nbsp;among individuals whose diets scored highest on the&nbsp;Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), which emphasizes higher intakes of&nbsp;polyunsaturated fats&nbsp;(\u226510% of total calories) and&nbsp;long-chain omega-3 fatty acids&nbsp;(250&nbsp;mg\/day, or about two servings of fish per week). These participants had an&nbsp;83% higher chance of aging in good health, and more than&nbsp;double the odds of reaching age 70&nbsp;in good physical and mental condition (Figure 1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Specific Foods<\/strong><br>The contribution of plant-based foods and unsaturated fats to healthy aging becomes even clearer when looking at the\u00a0individual impact of foods or food groups\u00a0on various aging-related parameters (Figure 2). Overall,&nbsp;all foods positively associated with healthy aging&nbsp;were&nbsp;plant-based&nbsp;(shown in green in the figure), with the&nbsp;notable exception of yogurt and low-fat dairy products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, the foods consumed more frequently by individuals\u00a0who did not meet one or more criteria for healthy aging\u00a0were mostly from\u00a0animal sources\u00a0(e.g. various meats) or\u00a0ultra-processed products\u00a0(e.g. processed meats, trans fats, sodium, sugary drinks, refined flours, and fast-food items like fries or pizza).Finally, regarding\u00a0alcoholic beverages,\u00a0wine\u00a0was positively associated with healthy aging, while other types of alcohol\u2014particularly\u00a0spirits\u2014were associated with negative outcomes. This is consistent with other studies showing that\u00a0moderate wine drinkers have a much lower risk of premature death<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>compared to those who consume other types of alcohol (<a href=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/en\/2024\/01\/12\/prevention-of-myocardial-infarction-through-moderate-alcohol-consumption-the-benefits-of-red-wine\/\">see our article on the topic<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"609\" src=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-3-foods-ENG-1024x609.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-3-foods-ENG-1024x609.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-3-foods-ENG-300x178.jpg 300w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-3-foods-ENG-768x457.jpg 768w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-3-foods-ENG-1536x914.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-3-foods-ENG-2048x1218.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Figure 2.<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Associations Between Various Dietary Components and the Likelihood of Healthy Aging.<\/strong>&nbsp;Each column represents the impact of different foods on overall healthy aging (1), preservation of cognitive abilities (2), physical function (3), mental health (4), absence of chronic diseases (5), and survival to at least age 70 (6). For each food category, the values represent a comparison between high intake (90th percentile) and low intake (10th percentile). Green colour gradients&nbsp;indicate increasing levels of&nbsp;positive association between foods and healthy aging outcomes, while&nbsp;red gradients reflect negative associations. It is worth noting that foods positively associated with healthy aging are&nbsp;predominantly plant-based, whereas those that significantly&nbsp;reduce the chances of aging in good health&nbsp;are primarily&nbsp;animal-based or industrially processed foods. Source:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-025-03570-5\">Tessier et al. (2025)<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ultra-Processed Foods Accelerate Aging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;sharp decrease in healthy aging likelihood&nbsp;among individuals who regularly consume animal-based and ultra-processed foods is concerning, especially since&nbsp;these two food groups dominate the diets of Canadians\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/en\/2024\/05\/30\/high-protein-intake-could-increase-the-risk-of-cardiovascular-events\/\">two thirds of daily protein comes from animal sources<\/a>, and&nbsp;about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2468125322001698?via%3Dihub\">half of daily calories come from ultra-processed industrial foods<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This situation is especially problematic for&nbsp;ultra-processed foods, which are essentially&nbsp;industrial creations, made from multiple ingredients that do not exist in nature and containing a wide variety of additives meant to enhance appearance, taste, texture, and shelf life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Numerous studies have documented the&nbsp;negative health effects&nbsp;of ultra-processed foods on chronic disease risk and premature mortality (<a href=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/en\/2023\/10\/26\/emulsifiers-food-additives-that-increase-the-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease\/\">see our article on this topic<\/a>). It is therefore unsurprising that a&nbsp;similar negative effect&nbsp;is seen on healthy aging (Figure 3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compared to those who consume little of these products (Q1), people who eat the most ultra-processed foods (Q5) show a&nbsp;marked reduction&nbsp;in their likelihood of meeting the healthy aging criteria measured in the study. This negative effect is&nbsp;especially striking&nbsp;when compared with the&nbsp;notable increase in healthy aging chances&nbsp;among people who follow plant-rich, minimally processed diets such as the AHEI (Figure 3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"623\" src=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-4-UPF-ENG-1024x623.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18062\" srcset=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-4-UPF-ENG-1024x623.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-4-UPF-ENG-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-4-UPF-ENG-768x467.jpg 768w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-4-UPF-ENG-1536x935.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fig.-4-UPF-ENG.jpg 1752w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Figure 3.<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Association Between Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods and the Likelihood of Healthy Aging.<\/strong>&nbsp;The values represent the odds ratios for the various measured outcomes when comparing high (Q5) vs. low (Q1) intake of ultra-processed foods, as defined by the&nbsp;NOVA classification system&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/observatoireprevention.org\/en\/2019\/05\/28\/to-stay-slim-avoid-ultra-processed-foods\/\">see our article on this classification<\/a>). For comparison, results from the&nbsp;AHEI diet&nbsp;(Figure 1) are also shown.<br>Source:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-025-03570-5\">Tessier et al. (2025)<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In summary, these results strongly suggest that adopting healthy dietary habits&nbsp;in midlife\u2014especially a&nbsp;high intake of plant-based foods&nbsp;and a&nbsp;low intake of animal-based and ultra-processed foods\u2014significantly increases the chances of reaching older age in good health, without major physical or mental limitations. When combined with&nbsp;no smoking,&nbsp;regular physical activity, and&nbsp;effective stress management&nbsp;(including quality sleep and strong social networks), this type of diet likely represents&nbsp;the best-known strategy&nbsp;for promoting long-term healthy aging.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A diet rich in plant-based foods, combined with a reduction in meat and processed products, is associated with a significantly higher chance of reaching old age in good physical and mental health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1619],"class_list":["post-18054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What to Eat to Age in Good Health? 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