Do you need another reason to steer clear of cheeseburgers and candy bars? A new study suggests that eating lots of red meat and heavily processed sweets may be a recipe for a shorter life.
For the study, scientists reviewed research from hundreds of studies in animals and humans to get a clearer picture of what we might want to eat — and when — to get the best chance at a longer, healthier life.
“We explored the link between nutrients, fasting, genes, and longevity in short-lived species, and connected these links to clinical and epidemiological studies in primates and humans, including centenarians,” said a coauthor of the study, Valter Longo, PhD, a gerontology professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, in a statement.
The analysis focused on eating patterns, diseases, and life span in animals and humans. It also examined several eating patterns popular today, including a low-calorie diet, a high-fat and low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet, the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, and vegan and vegetarian diets.
In addition to looking at what foods might be best, the study explored how the timing of food intake affects health and longevity. Scientists focused on different types of fasting, including routine intermittent fasting that restricts food consumption to a limited number of hours every day, as well as occasional fasting or fasting-mimicking diets done only one or two days a month.
The Recipe for Living a Longer Life
On the basis of all this information, scientists arrived at what they describe as a “longevity diet” that may help people live the longest, healthiest possible life.
Dr. Longo described the key to longevity: “Lots of legumes, whole grains, and vegetables; some fish; no red meat or processed meat, and very low white meat; low sugar and refined grains; good levels of nuts and olive oil, and some dark chocolate.”
This might be called a pescatarian diet, mostly plant-based with some fish and seafood, the researchers reported April 28 in Cell.
For the longest life, people shouldn’t cut out carbohydrates. On the contrary, carbs should account for the majority of food intake, but people should get these nutrients from whole foods rather than heavily processed foods, the researchers concluded.
And snacking around the clock isn’t a good idea. Instead, people should try to consume most of the day’s meals within an 11- to 12-hour window. Three or four times a year, it may also help to do a fasting diet with more focus on restricting calories or narrowing the window of food consumption, since even periodic fasting has been proven to lower high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and inflammation — all of which contribute to various chronic diseases, the researchers point out.
It’s Never Too Late to Adopt a Longevity Lifestyle
Adopting this kind of diet — plentiful whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and nuts, with minimal red or processed meats — could increase life expectancy by nearly 11 years in women and 13 years in men if started at age 20, and about 8 years if started by age 60, according to other research,published in PLOS Medicine in Februarythis year.
That doesn’t mean a longevity diet would look the same for everyone, though. And it also doesn’t mean food is the only thing you need to think about for the longest possible life. Regular exercise and other lifestyle habits also make a big difference, Longo said.
“The longevity diet is not a dietary restriction intended to only cause weight loss but a lifestyle focused on slowing aging, which can complement standard healthcare and, taken as a preventative measure, will aid in avoiding morbidity and sustaining health into advanced age,” Longo said.
