Extend your life by ten years by changing your diet

The group behind the study analyzed data from up to 467,354 British citizens, all of whom documented their eating habits, which were included in a large, well-known medical database called UK Biobank.

Diet made a big difference

In this huge data set, the researchers observed whether the participants’ diet changed over time. In addition, they were divided into different groups depending on the food they ate:

One group ate an average diet, another ate an unhealthy diet, a third group followed general dietary guidelines, and a fourth group ate what the researchers themselves called a “life-extension diet.”

The big finding was that men and women who in their 40s made the change from unhealthy eating to consistently following official nutritional advice, increased their life expectancy by about nine years.

The researchers observed the biggest change in the group that chose not to consume sugary drinks and processed meats in favor of a diet rich in vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fruits and moderate amounts of fish – proving to be the dietary pattern that extends life. .

In these cases, the dietary change led to participants living between 10.4 and 10.8 years longer than expected.

The researchers observed less change in life expectancy in the group of participants who ate an average diet initially or changed their dietary patterns later in life.

But the team behind the study stresses that there are still many benefits to be gained, even if you switch to a healthier diet at an older age.

The results also showed that 70-year-olds could extend their life expectancy by four to five years if they made a significant change in their eating habits and started following official dietary advice or the life-extension diet.

The study was published in the scientific journal Nature’s food It was led by researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway.