For many years, we’ve highlighted the important connection between the food you eat and how you age. There’s strong evidence that eating in a way that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, among other foods (including adherence to the Mediterranean diet), and limiting your intake of red meat, sugars, and ultra-processed foods, will allow you to lower your risk of many of the health problems that arise due to aging (cancer, cardiovascular disease, and inflammation, for example). The evidence to support this link between healthy eating and healthy aging continues, as several new studies have highlighted the value of watching what you eat and thus protecting how you age.

First, in a new study published in PLOS ONE, Italian and American researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 50 studies examining the relationship of a primarily plant-based diet with longer and healthier lives. Considering both vegan and vegetarian diets, the researchers suggest that these sorts of diets are linked with a lower risk of both certain types of cancer and cardiovascular disease, along with a lower risk of obesity, inflammation, hypertension, and “bad” cholesterol. Furthermore, the research suggests it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition: You don’t have to cut out all meat from your diet immediately. Even small but steady changes that lessen your reliance on meat and up your intake of plant-based foods (but don’t use refined carbs and processed foods as your “vegetarian” diet!) will make a difference. For more on this new study, rinse off some blueberries and click here. 

What counts as a “plant-based diet”? Harvard Health has an excellent article reviewing this approach to eating and US News recently posted a slightly broader list of nutrient-dense foods for older adults, which reiterates the value of a largely plant-based diet but adds a few additional items, such as plain Greek yogurt, eggs, salmon and certain herbs and spices. Remember, as an older adult, you need fewer calories, so the foods you eat must meet your nutritional needs. For a just published guide on how to gradually transition to a more plant-based approach to eating,  grab your shopping list and look here. 

Other recent studies have pointed to additional mental and cognitive health benefits derived from a plant-based approach to eating. For example, it appears that olive oil, a staple of the Mediterranean diet, has been found to have a role in lowering the risk of dementia-related death. According to a new study published in JAMA Network Open, consuming about ½ a tablespoon/day of olive oil could lower your risk of dementia-related mortality by as much as 28%, regardless of whatever else you consume. A heart-healthy fat, olive oil is also rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, which can lower inflammation in the body and brain, thought to be an important factor in dementia. Other studies have found an association between a Mediterranean-style diet and such mental health issues as anxiety and depression. A recent study out of Australia found that a Mediterranean diet lowered the severity of both anxiety and stress among older Australians (aged 60+). This suggests that diet may be a modifiable factor when considering mental health among older adults. And in another study published in The British Journal of Nutrition, researchers examined the role of different aspects of the Mediterranean diet on depression symptoms among almost 800 participants, aged 67-97. Women who followed this diet had a 54% lower risk of depression while those who ate 3 or more servings of fish each week had a 62% lower risk of depression. Among men in the study, those who consumed more fruits and nuts showed an 82% reduction in depressive symptoms. So now, perhaps more than ever in your life, what you eat may have a direct impact on how healthy you are, today and going forward. As Michael Pollan has said, “Came from a plant, eat it; was made in a plant, don’t.”