Studies have long found an association between consuming a healthful diet and better health, leading to a longer life, mainly from a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. It has been estimated that dietary risk factors lead to 11 million deaths globally each year, making a poor diet the leading risk factor for death in most countries. Now, researchers from Norway have examined several studies and pooled the findings to develop a tool to estimate just how many years you may be able to add to your life by eating healthfully, if you make the dietary changes permanent.
The researchers, publishing in the journal, PLOS Medicine, found that making a long-term switch from a typical, so-called “Western diet” (typically high in pre-packaged foods, refined grains, red meat, processed meat, high-sugar drinks, and sweets) to an optimal diet starting at age 20 could theoretically increase life expectancy by more than a decade for women and by 13 years for men. That optimal diet is defined as rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and low in red meat, processed meat, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened beverages. In the study, the largest gains in predicted life expectancy were linked to legumes, whole grains, and nuts, and less red meat and processed meats….