- Researchers from the Karolinska Institute have studied how food models influence the development of chronic diseases such as heart disease, dementia and diabetes in the elderly.
- The elderly who regularly ate healthier diets that included vegetables, whole grains, nuts and healthy fats have experienced slower accumulation of chronic diseases.
- Those who have consumed more red meat, processed foods and sugary drinks were more likely to develop multiple chronic conditions over time.
Aging often presents new health challenges, including an increased risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, Mpoc and dementia.
A new study by researchers in Sweden offers hope to the elderly concerned about their health.
During the study of the effect that the diet has on chronic diseases, researchers found that people who consumed healthier diets tended to see a slower progression of chronic health problems and fewer chronic diseases overall.
On the other hand, participants who consumed a pro-inflammatory diet were more likely to develop multiple chronic diseases.
The study appears in
Follow -up of the link between food choices and aging
Aging can lead to new health problems such as hearing loss,
Although a drop is expected, being proactive on health, including food choices, can help reduce the risk associated with chronic conditions.
The authors of this study focused on chronic diseases in the elderly. Some of the health problems they considered included cardiovascular disease, neuropsychiatric diseases and musculoskeletal diseases.
To do this, they analyzed data from the Swedish national study on aging and care in kungsholmen (SNAC-K), a long-term register that follows health measures, medical history and cognitive tests in aging adults.
The researchers included a group of more than 2,400 people in Snac-K who were an average age of 71.5 years at the baseline.
The researchers divided participants into four groups according to the responses they provided on food questionnaires:
- Mind (Mediterranean intervention for neurodegenerative delay), which focuses on the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats.
- AHEI (alternative health index of healthy food), which assesses the quality of food according to foods linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, such as fish, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
- Amed (Mediterranean alternative), which focuses on plant -based foods and healthy fats, but adjusts recommendations for certain foods such as red meat.
Edii (Empirical food inflammatory index), which is a pro-inflammatory diet rich in red meat, processed foods and sugary drinks.
The researchers considered the first three healthy diets, while the EDII represented an unhealthy diet and promoting inflammation.
Scientists have used 15 years of data to examine how diets have had an impact on the accumulation of chronic diseases.
Older adults who have developed fewer chronic diseases
The results of this study have demonstrated yet another way of maintaining healthy diet is important for health.
Over a period of 15 years, participants who followed one of the healthy foods experienced a slower increase in chronic diseases. In addition, these participants had up to two less diseases than people with the least membership of a healthy diet.
Healthy eaters have also experienced a slower rate of heart disease and neuropsychiatric diseases such as dementia.
The only area where researchers did not find a negative association between a pro-inflammatory regime and the health results concerned musculoskeletal disease.
The protective effects of the spirit and the AHEI regimes on neuropsychiatric health were the strongest among the oldest participants. This suggests that even later in life, the adoption of a healthy diet can make a difference.
Experts warn that moving food models can make challenges
David Cutler, MD, a family medical medicine certified on the Board of Directors at the Providence Center in Providence Saint John, shared his reflections on the study with Medical news today.
“These results suggest that the quality of the food is a modifiable risk factor to slow the rate of accumulation of chronic diseases in the elderly,” said Cutler.
Cutler stressed that the study clearly indicated that a pro-inflammatory regime can be harmful to its health.
Although the study has demonstrated the importance of healthy eating habits, Cutler noted that “changing eating behavior is difficult”.
“This is particularly true for (the elderly) whose models have been anchored longer, and they can see a shorter period of time to appreciate the advantages of a healthier diet,” continued Cutler.
Mir Ali, MD, certified general surgeon of the board of directors, bariatric surgeon and medical director of the MemorialCare surgical weight loss center in Orange Coast Medical Center, also met with Mnt.
“I thought it was a good study connecting a healthier diet for a slower progression of the disease,” said Ali. “Although it is difficult to separate all the factors, I think it is reasonable to conclude that the diet plays a major role in chronic inflammation and the disease.”
Ali also shared concerns about the difficulty of changing the eating habits of the elderly.
“The older someone, the more difficult it is to make long -term changes; In addition, diseases and inflammation can progress more as we age, so it becomes more difficult to reverse these changes, “said Ali.
“In general, we recommend all our patients, including the elderly, to reduce the consumption of carbohydrates and sugar and to focus on proteins and vegetables.
– me ali, md
