Kerri WaldronA nutrition scientist has claimed that making dietary changes at the age of 40 could add an extra 10 years to your life.
Speaking on the Zoe podcast, Dr Federica Amati explained that people’s bodies change as they age, and foods that once made them feel fit and healthy may no longer have the same effect. Zoe CEO Jonathan Wolf asked her: “One thing that really struck me in your book. You say that improving your diet at the age of 40 can add a decade to your life. Can you tell me some more about that?”
Dr Amati explained that a study by Professor John Mathers looked at the impact of following UK ‘base dietary patterns’ – which she said were not very good – and found that improving them to standard dietary guidelines could add around six years to your life. She continued: “Then what happens if you actually take that further and follow what they’ve called a longevity pattern? Mediterranean style diet.
“So basically, add more fruits, more vegetables, more legumes, more nuts, more seeds. And then it shoots up to adding 10 to 11 years to your life at age 40. But that study also looked at what happens if you do the same at age 70. 40 is not a magic number, right. You could add up to 11 years to your life at age 40 but you can add up to six years to your life at age 70 now, of course, this is a modelling study, but it conceptualises and it shows us the impact which diet is likely to have.”
She explained that as we age, our bodies become less efficient at absorbing and utilising nutrients, reports Gloucestershire Live. “Typically, we become more insulin resistant,” Dr Amati said. “And insulin is this hormone, which is really important for the uptake of all nutrients into cells, which is why there’s a recommendation for more protein for older adults. Now, what I will say is this increase is minimal. We’re talking about from 0.83 g per kilogram of body weight, maybe up to 1 g per kilogram with older people.
“If they become malnourished, if they become dehydrated, it’s a much more severe effect. So make sure that every meal opportunity for the older person in your life, if that’s you has a really good source of plant protein in it, or perhaps it’s eggs every now and then or perhaps it’s oily fish, but really embracing nutrient dense foods, making like these really delicious soups and stews with beans and lentils and whole grains and making the most of these foods that we know are brilliant at nourishing us and they are naturally hydrating, can really help someone’s quality of life.”
Source: bing.com
