Health
Healthy eating in middle age has this key longevity benefit
Adopting healthy eating habits during middle age boosts the likelihood of healthy aging.
That’s according to a new study from the Harvard T.C. Chan School of Public Health, which found that a “moderate intake of healthy, animal-based foods” and a “lower intake of ultraprocessed foods” could increase the chances of reaching age 70 with good “cognitive, physical and mental health” and no major diseases.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Montreal also contributed to the study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
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“Studies have previously investigated dietary patterns in the context of specific diseases or how long people live. Ours takes a multifaceted view, asking, how does diet impact people’s ability to live independently and enjoy a good quality of life as they age?” said co-corresponding author Frank Hu, Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School, in a Harvard press release.
Adopting healthy eating habits during middle age boosts the likelihood of healthy aging, a new study found. (iStock)
The researchers analyzed diet and health data for more than 105,000 women and men aged 39 to 69 over a 30-year period, drawn from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
Based on the participants’ self-reported diets, they were given scores for eight different healthy eating plans based on their intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts and legumes, as well as some healthy animal-based foods, including fish and certain dairy products, the release stated.
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They also investigated the participants’ consumption of ultraprocessed foods containing added sugars, sodium and unhealthy fats.
The diet with the most benefits for healthy aging was the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), the researchers found, which was linked to an 86% greater likelihood of healthy aging at 70 years old.
The diet with the most benefits for healthy aging was the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), which was linked to an 86% greater likelihood of healthy aging at 70 years old. (iStock)
This diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and healthy fats, with limited amounts of red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, sodium and refined grains, the release stated.
Participants who ate more processed foods had less likelihood of healthy aging, with processed meat and sugary or diet beverages named as the biggest culprits.
“There is no one-size-fits-all diet. Healthy diets can be adapted to fit individual needs and preferences.”
“Our findings suggest that dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods, with moderate inclusion of healthy, animal-based foods, may promote overall healthy aging and help shape future dietary guidelines,” said co-corresponding author Marta Guasch-Ferré, associate professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen and adjunct associate professor of nutrition at Harvard Chan School, in the release.
“Our findings suggest that dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods, with moderate inclusion of healthy, animal-based foods, may promote overall healthy aging and help shape future dietary guidelines,” the researchers said. (iStock)
“Our findings also show that there is no one-size-fits-all diet. Healthy diets can be adapted to fit individual needs and preferences,” added lead author Anne-Julie Tessier, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Montreal and researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute.
Sherry Coleman Collins, a food allergy dietitian and expert from the Atlanta metropolitan area, was not involved in the study but reviewed the findings.
“This data helps emphasize the importance of how we eat throughout life, in particular at midlife, on our ability to remain healthy and strong into our golden years,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Since the majority of healthcare dollars are spent at the end of our life, this has huge implications on the potential to save money on costly interventions, as well as improving quality of life throughout the lifespan.”
Most of the beneficial diets in the study were primarily plant-based, Collins noted.
Participants who ate more processed foods had less likelihood of healthy aging, with processed meat and sugary or diet beverages named as the biggest culprits. (iStock)
“They aren’t all vegetarian or vegan, but they all include an eating pattern made up of primarily fruits, vegetables, whole grains, foods high in unsaturated fats, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds.”
She agreed, however, that there is no one-size-fits-all diet, and that people can be healthy by eating many different types of diets.
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“The most health-promoting diets all exclude or only include small amounts of high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, ultraprocessed foods,” she said.
The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged — chiefly that it was limited to only health professionals.
Some of the beneficial diets included healthy animal-based foods, including fish and certain dairy products. (iStock)
Further studies are needed to confirm the findings with more diverse populations, they said.
The Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study were supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Other support was received from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the release stated.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
BACTERIA IN YOUR MOUTH MAY TRAVEL TO THE GUT AND TRIGGER STOMACH CANCER, RESEARCH FINDS
After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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