Changing your food diet could add up to 13 years of life says a new study and is especially the case if this is started from a younger age. The study created a model of what might happen to a person’s longevity if they replaced a typical ‘Western diet’, which focuses on red meat and processed foods’, with an optimised diet. 

By an optimised diet, the study means the lessening of red and processed meat and an increased amount of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts. If a woman began eating optimally at age 20, she could increase her lifespan by over 10 years. A man eating a healthier diet from the age of 20 could in turn increase their lifespan by 13 years. The study said that by focusing on a healthier diet one could lengthen the lives of older adults. 

Starting at the age of 60, a woman could still increase a lifespan by 8 years, whereas men starting at the same age could add nearly nine years to their lives. A plant-based diet could even benefit 80 year olds, with both men and women able to gain 3.5 years of extra life. Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine, said that the notion that improving diet quality would reduce the risk of chronic disease and premature death is long established. 

The largest gains in longevity were found from eating more legumes, which include beans, peas and lentils; whole grains, which are the entire seed of a plant; and nuts such as walnuts, almonds, pecans and pistachios. Adding these to one’s diet might seem simple, but statistics show that many people (for this study, Americans) struggle to do so. But nuts, seeds and whole grains contain more than just protein as they include healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 

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