Five Diets Extend Life by Five Years
A new study identifies five dietary patterns that can prolong life by up to 5 years, emphasizing whole foods, plant-forward meals, and reduced processed food intake. The findings support sustainable eating habits over fad diets for longevity benefits. Meanwhile, separate research suggests intermittent fasting may not offer unique advantages for weight loss compared to traditional calorie restriction.
- The five dietary patterns identified in the study are the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), the Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED), the Healthful Plant-Based Diet Index (hPDI), the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and the Diabetes Risk Reduction Diet (DRRD). - The study, which followed over 100,000 people for more than a decade, found that high adherence to these diets reduced the risk of premature death by 18-24%. - For a person aged 45, following one of these diets closely was associated with an additional 1.5 to 2.3 years of life for women and 1.9 to 3.0 years for men. - A significant finding was that the life-extending benefits of a healthy diet were present even in individuals with a genetic predisposition for a shorter lifespan, suggesting lifestyle can offset inherited risk. - The diet most strongly associated with reduced mortality was the Diabetes Risk Reduction Diet, which emphasizes high fiber intake and a low glycemic index to help prevent sharp blood sugar spikes. - The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, one of the five studied, was originally developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has been shown to lower blood pressure in as little as two weeks. - A major Cochrane review of 22 trials found that intermittent fasting produces nearly identical weight loss results when compared to conventional daily calorie restriction, with the difference being "statistically indistinguishable from zero." - While most studies show similar results, one year-long trial found that a "4:3" intermittent fasting plan (eating freely four days a week and restricting calories on three) resulted in modestly greater weight loss than daily calorie restriction.
