What good is living a long life if it is riddled with disease and disability? And what can you do to age well? These questions are at the center of a new way of thinking about aging: instead of focusing on the number of years a person lives and the prevention of particular diseases–such as heart disease, stroke, or dementia–the attention has shifted to promoting healthy aging with preserved functionality and a high quality of life.

Can eating certain food items or adhering to a particular dietary pattern help achieve these goals? In an article published in Nature Medicine on March 24, 2025, Anne-Julie Tessier and her colleagues searched for dietary patterns that would result in healthy physical, cognitive, and mental aging.

Tessier analyzed two large databases of more than 173,000 individuals who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Using mailed questionnaires, these studies closely followed healthcare professionals for up to three decades. Some of these participants were excluded from Tessier’s study due to a lack of relevant data, for example, but sufficient and relevant information was available on more than 105,000 people. Among these participants, 37.9% reached the age of 70 years, 22.8% remained free of chronic disease, 33.9% maintained intact cognitive function, 28.1% maintained intact physical function, and 26.5% maintained intact mental health.

The researchers examined not only the association between healthy aging and the consumption of individual food items (fruits, dairy, or red meat, for example), but also the association between healthy aging and several dietary patterns — combinations of food and beverages consumed over time (such as the Mediterranean Diet).

The dietary patterns that were examined shared similarities. They all promote the intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while discouraging the consumption of red meat. However, each dietary pattern has a different emphasis. The Mediterranean diet focuses on olive oil, fish, and nuts; the MIND diet highlights the cognitive benefits of berries; and the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) prioritizes salt restriction for blood pressure control.

Tessier found that following any of the healthy dietary patterns mentioned above (and several others) was associated with not only a greater chance of reaching an older age but also with healthier aging. She also found that adherence to one particular dietary pattern–the Alternative Healthy Eating Index–was the most effective. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index, a tool developed at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, calls for a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and long-chain omega-3 fats (from fish like sardines and salmon). It also advises limiting the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice, red and processed meats, sodium (salt), and alcohol.

The association between following a dietary pattern and healthy aging was strong. Participants who followed the Alternative Healthy Eating Index most closely had an 86% higher chance of achieving healthy aging at 70 years, and more than twice the odds of reaching 75 years of healthy aging.

When Tessier analyzed individual food items, rather than dietary patterns, a similar picture emerged. Higher intakes of fruits, whole grains, vegetables, added unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy were associated with greater odds of healthy aging while higher intakes of trans fats, sodium, total meats, red meat, and processed meats were associated with lower odds of healthy aging.

The addition of unsaturated fat intake, including polyunsaturated fatty acids, was particularly associated with surviving to the age of 70 years, and with intact physical and cognitive functions. Polyunsaturated fatty acids cannot be produced by our bodies, and therefore must be obtained from foods. The two main polyunsaturated fatty acids are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These are found in fatty fish, walnuts, canola oil, and different types of seeds such as chia, hemp, pumpkin, and sesame seeds.

Interestingly, these associations were even stronger in women. They were also stronger in heavier individuals and smokers (please try, with all your might, to quit smoking — but if you do smoke, at least eat right).

Tessier’s study is impressive in its scope. It included many thousands of participants who were followed for a very long period. The study indicates that adherence to a healthy diet during midlife is associated with the prevention of chronic diseases and with better cognitive, physical, and mental health. It suggests that a healthier diet is very likely to result in healthier aging.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Shahar Madjar, MD, MBA, is a urologist and an author. He practices at Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital in Manistique, and in Baraga County Memorial Hospital in L’Anse. Find his books on Amazon or contact him at smadjar@yahoo.com.