1236. Diet for Healthy Aging

The world is rapidly aging, and it is estimated that by 2030, one in six people will be over 60 years old. Given this demographic change, it is clear that the spread of non-communicable diseases caused by unhealthy diets will further strain already-strained health systems. Therefore, promoting healthy diets is a global priority.

Many studies have previously demonstrated the association between healthy diets and the prevention of non-communicable diseases. (*Cohort study: A method of tracking a group of people with a hypothetical factor (exposed group) and a group of people without a factor (non-exposed group) at the time of the survey, and comparing the incidence or mortality rate of diseases in both groups. The purpose is to determine which factors predispose people to develop specific diseases and to estimate causal relationships. https://jeaweb.jp/glossary/glossary006.html) However, little research has been done to identify optimal dietary patterns for healthy aging.

A recent paper published in Nature Medicine examined follow-up data for up to 30 years to investigate the association between healthy aging and adherence to eight types of dietary patterns and intake of ultra-processed foods. Healthy aging was defined as living to age 70 without suffering from 11 chronic diseases and without impairment of physical, cognitive, and mental health. The study used data from a total of 105,015 men and women who participated in two large-scale cohort studies in the United States, and the results were stratified by sex, ancestry, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle factors.

The results showed that 9.3% of participants (66% women, average age 53 years) achieved healthy aging. Higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fatty acids, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy products increased the likelihood of healthy aging, while higher intakes of trans fatty acids, sodium, sweetened beverages, red meat or processed meat (or both) decreased the likelihood.

The results suggest that a dietary pattern rich in plant-based foods and moderate amounts of healthy animal-based foods may promote healthy aging. This could serve as a guide for future dietary guidelines.

(Reference)
Tessier, AJ., Wang, F., Korat, A.A. et al. Optimal dietary patterns for healthy aging. Nat Med (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03570-5

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