What foods decrease life expectancy?

We know that for optimal health, we need to eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day (3 vegetables and 2 fruits is even better!) But there are also foods that we should avoid consuming if we don’t does not want to reduce his life expectancy. The ancients spoke of “digging one’s grave with one’s teeth”, an expression which must have inspired researchers from the University of Michigan (United States) who list of foods which have a negative impact on our life expectancy.

For this study published in the journal Nature Food, American researchers have calculated the impact in minutes on the life expectancy of more than 5,800 foods frequently consumed in the United States. Thus, they calculated that a simple hot-dof reduced life expectancy by 36 minutes, while a handful of nuts increased it by 22 minutes. They also claim that a plate of “corned beef” served with a tomato-onion sauce reduced life expectancy by 71 years, whereas if you put sardines on the same plate with a tomato sauce, you save 92 minutes of life. life expectancy. With this study, the researchers intend to show that small changes in our diet can have big effects on health.

5 years of winning with Omega-3

A few weeks ago, another study, conducted by the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (in Spain), insisted on the foods which, conversely, increase our life expectancy. They particularly insisted on omega-3 because, according to the researchers, these essential fatty acids would lengthen our life expectancy by about 5 years.

To reach this conclusion, the Spanish researchers worked with a group of 2,240 volunteers aged 65 and over, who were followed for 11 years. Result ? The scientists found that the participants with the highest blood levels of omega-3s lived (on average) 4.7 years longer than the others.

“Being a regular smoker reduces life expectancy by about 5 years: these are 5 years that can be regained by consuming more omega-3s on a daily basis” note the researchers, who published their work in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The ideal being (of course) to fill up on omega-3s and quit smoking…

As a reminder, the best sources of omega-3 are small oily fish (sardines, mackerel, herring and anchovies), chia and flax seeds, rapeseed oil or walnuts. “Making small changes in your eating habits can have a major impact on health and life expectancy: it’s never too late to change your lifestyle“the scientists point out.

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