We are now certain that food has a decisive impact on our health and a balanced diet could make us live longer. But what foods should you eat exactly? Researchers at the University of South Carolina have cataloged over 100 nutrition studies conducted over the past few decades in an effort to discover the diet that “offers the best chance of living a longer, healthier life“. Their results were published in the journal Cell.
As you might expect, legumes, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables are at the heart of this miracle diet. More surprisingly, the researchers named dark chocolate as a crucial part of the diet. It would be divided into three main categories of food: 55% unrefined carbohydrates, 30% vegetable fats, and finally, 15% vegetable protein.
Certain foods are completely to be avoided, in particular red meat and processed products such as cold cuts. Sugar and refined grains – white bread, pasta and cereals – should be reduced, as well as white meat and fish, which should only be eaten occasionally and in small amounts. According to the researchers, in addition to “delay aging“, this diet could reduce the risk of developing age-related diseasesincluding diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.
Is fasting good for living longer?
Beyond certain foods, the researchers recommend practicing intermittent fasting on a daily basis, either eat all their meals over a time slot of 11 to 12 hours. They also advise people at higher risk of disease to fast for five days every three to four months. “We explored the link between nutrients, fasting, genes and longevity in short-lived species, and linked these links to clinical and epidemiological studies in primates and humans – including centenarians.“, said Valter Longo, lead author of the study.
According to the lead author of the study, “this diet is not a dietary restriction intended solely to cause weight loss only“. Indeed, adopting it would also help “avoid morbidity and maintain health into old age“.
To sum up : “Lots of legumes, whole grains and vegetables; some fish; no red meat or charcuterie and little white meat; low-sugar and refined grains; good levels of nuts and olive oil, and dark chocolate.“
Source :
- Nutrition, longevity and disease: from molecular mechanisms to interventions, CellApril 28, 2022
Read also:
- What foods decrease life expectancy?
- 18 tips for hoping to become a centenarian
- 5 (unexpected) tips from a cardiologist to become a centenarian
