More legumes, whole grains and nuts versus less red and processed meat proves to be the secret to a longer life.

Most people want a long and healthy life. But their diet does not always rhyme with that. Especially in western countries, where there is a lot of sugar, fat, meat and few fruit and vegetables on the menu, obesity and the associated health problems threaten to be rampant. But what if we all got off this ‘unhealthy, western diet’?

Influence of diet on health

Your diet is known to have a major impact on your health. For example, a Mediterranean diet – rich in fish, vegetables and olive oil – has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, we know from a Western diet (rich in fat, sugar and little fiber) that this is associated with various lifestyle diseases, such as obesity or inflammatory reactions. And that can shorten your life considerably. For example, unhealthy eating is estimated to lead to 11 million deaths per year.

Did you know…

… olive oil is also very healthy? Recently, scientists showed that by eating just half a tablespoon of olive oil a day, you may live longer and reduce your risk of a number of diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.

In a new study researchers built using meta-analyses and data from the Global Burden of Diseasesstudies a new model – also available as online calculator – which estimates the impact of major dietary change on life expectancy. Because according to researcher Lars Fadnes, it is very important that we gain more insight into and better understand exactly what the effect of food is on our health. “This could empower people to make better choices that have a positive impact on health,” he told in an interview Scientias.nl†

Higher life expectancy

It leads to some interesting discoveries. Because although we do know that a Western diet is not really healthy, this is strongly emphasized by the study. For example, if a young adult in his or her 20s from the United States swapped his unhealthy Western diet for a diet rich in legumes, whole grains, nuts, and little red and processed meat, he could extend his life by as much as 10 years (10.7 years for women and 13.0 years for men). For people over 60, the expected gain in life expectancy from the same change in diet would be smaller, but still significant (8 years for women and 8.8 years for men). Even octogenarians can stick with it for an average of 3.4 years if they change their diet.

Gain in years of life

The study shows how much life-year gains can be made by simply eating other foods. “Our estimates indicate that the benefits of optimizing diets can be significant,” Fadnes says. “Certainly for those who maintain a typical western diet. Eating more legumes, whole grains and nuts and eating less red meat and processed meats are estimated to be the most effective ways to increase life expectancy.”

Foods
Eating more legumes extends life expectancy for women by 2.2 years and for men by 2.5 years. But also eating more whole grains (2 years for women and 2.3 years for men), more nuts (1.7 years for women and 2.0 years for men), less red meat (1.6 years for women and 1 for men). .9 years) and less processed meat (women 1.6 years and men 1.9 years) appears to lead to a longer life.

Expected increase in life expectancy by age group, based on the consumption of various foods. Image: Fadnes LT et al., 2022, PLOS Medicine, CC BY 4.0

As can be seen from the box above, legumes seem to make the most of the money and lead to a longer life. But why? “Pulses have a favorable ‘metabolic profile’,” Fadnes explains. “They provide fiber, protein, carbohydrates, various B vitamins, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc and phosphorus. In addition, legumes contain practically no saturated fat and cholesterol.”

Why western diet?

The results unequivocally show how unhealthy a Western diet is. A pressing question is why we have started eating this so en masse. “That’s a good question,” Fadnes says. “Health aspects of food choices are just one of many factors that influence our food choices. Other factors include taste, your cooking skills, knowledge and perceptions, peer influence, social norms, culture, cooking facilities and food prices. In addition, it could well be that people are overwhelmed by information and may place less emphasis on health aspects.”

According to the researchers, the calculator they create could be a useful tool for clinicians, policymakers and laypeople to better understand the health effects of dietary choices. And that is very important. Over the past centuries, average life expectancy in Western countries has steadily increased. But a few years ago, researchers found that that trend was interrupted for the first time: people born today live shorter lives than their parents on average. Unhealthy diet probably plays a decisive role in this. But by abandoning the Western diet, many people may be able to add many healthy years to their lives, according to the researchers.