If you’ve harbored any doubts about the value of a healthy diet for healthier aging, it’s time to put those aside. Having built the case with all of our previous posts, and now with even more new evidence reported, it’s clear that diet is one of the primary determinants of how well you’ll maintain your health span as you get older, and extend your life span into old age. In fact, a recent survey suggests that most of us understand the connection between health and diet, though whether we can actually maintain a healthy diet is another matter. According to a recent survey from The Mather Institute, the majority of us (participants in the survey were 55 and older) appear motivated to eat in a healthy way, for the overwhelming reasons of maintaining our physical health and brain health. Almost half of us read nutrition labels (look here for some helpful tips to interpret nutrition label recommendations) but less than 40% of us say we are trying to minimize our consumption of processed foods and even fewer of us are thinking about minimizing our intake of sweets. Most interestingly, perhaps, is that only 34% of those surveyed said they’d be willing to speak to a physician or nutritionist to develop a personalized diet plan. And for many (20%) cost considerations factor into their access to healthy food.

If your own motivation is mixed or lacking, there’s even more new evidence to bolster your determination. First, in a new study out of the University of Illinois, researchers explored the links between nutritional intake, brain structure, and cognitive function. With the goal of trying to better understand the contribution of nutrition to health, aging, and disease, they were able to find associations between nutritional markers, better brain volume, and higher scores on memory tests. While it’s not conclusive proof that better nutrition equates to better memory, it bolsters our understanding of the connection between nutritional intake and brain health. To find out more, read here. Regarding physical health, another new study, this time published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, reported that consuming a “superior quality” diet, consisting of such standards as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and healthy fats (while limiting red meat and alcohol) had a similar effect on physical fitness as adding an additional 4000 steps to your routine each day. While it’s still important to exercise each day it’s impressive that dietary changes can benefit your various organ systems, such as your cardiovascular system, in a manner comparable to physical exercise. So grab a salad and subsume this.

Finally, as an example of how a poor diet can wreak havoc with your health, new data has been published connecting the onset of Type 2 Diabetes with a deficient diet. In a paper published in Nature Medicine, looking at diets across 184 countries globally, researchers were able to find clear links between the consumption of such poor dietary choices as refined wheat and rice, processed meats, and sugar-infused beverages with a significant rise in Type 2 Diabetes. Data shows that over the last 40 years, the number of people diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (which accounts for 95% of all diagnoses of diabetes) jumped from 100 million to more than 500 million (along with associated obesity and cardiovascular risks). In the United States, poor diet was attributed to 73% of new Type 2 Diabetes cases diagnosed in 2018. Estimates are that ⅓ of adults 65 and older have Type 2 Diabetes and as a result, are more at risk for serious illness including kidney failure and heart disease. It would be hard to find clearer evidence of a direct connection between diet and disease in older adults. So take out your shopping list, pull out the veggie steamer, and plan some healthy menus by looking here.