Transitioning to a healthy diet leads to impressive gains in life expectancy. That was the uplifting conclusion from a recent evaluation published in the journal PLOS Medicine. 

For this report, scientists used existing data along with added data from the prestigious Global Burden of Disease Study. Using this large body of combined data, the scientists created a computer model that allows for  instant estimation of the impact on life expectancy of a broad range of specific diet changes, such as eating more nuts. 

The results? For young adults in the US, transitioning from a typical American diet to an optimal diet would offer up to an additional 10 years of life! What’s more, there were significant life-expectancy benefits for all ages, with an 80 year old gaining up to an average of 3.4 years of additional life by improving diet. 

So it is never too late to benefit from the anti-aging effects of a healthier diet. Of all the various  healthy foods evaluated in this analysis, the greatest gains in life expectancy  come from eating more legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), more whole grains, more nuts, and less red and processed meats, in that order.  

Thank you so much for being here and  feeding your hunger for health because I know it is the most important thing you can do for yourself, as well as those who love you.

PLOS Medicine, 2022; 19 (2): e1003889 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889