Which Carbohydrates Promote Healthy Aging? A 30-Year Study Investigates

A diet full of high-quality carbohydrates and dietary fiber can help in healthy ageing according to the recent study published in JAMA Network Open, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Medical Association. The study anaysed the data collected every four years between 1984 and 2016. It was collected through the Nurses’ Health Study Questionnaires to learn about the connection between the diet intake during midlife and its impact in old age. The analysis included data of more than 47,513 women with a baseline age of 48.5 years. In 2016, these women aged between 70 and 93.

The study considered the data of individual intake of different types of carbohydrates (total, refined, and unrefined carbohydrates, and carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes), dietary fiber (derived from plans and difficult to be absorbed by the digestive system, but beneficial for digestive health), and dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (a measurement to understand a food’s impact on blood sugar level).

The researchers from the Tufts University’s Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) and T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard conducted this study. They defined healthy ageing as a lack of physical, mental, and cognitive health impairments, and the absence of 11 chronic diseases (diseases which are long-lasting and needs ongoing attention).

These 11 chronic diseases included cancer, type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, congestive heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The data collected was self-reported at the time of different surveys during the 30 years.

The study aimed to understand the association between food intake during midlife and its eventual outcomes on health in old age. The study establishes that not just any carbs, but high-quality unrefined carbs and dietary fiber food can support healthy ageing.

The study found that those women whose intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes was high during midlife, which means a high intake of dietary fiber and high-quality carbs, have a 6 to 37 per cent higher chances to ageing healthy compared to those who ate refined carbs, refined grains, and starchy vegetables like potatoes, have 13 per cent less likelihood of healthy ageing.

As per the researchers’ definition, the study found 3,706 participants meeting the health ageing criteria. Of the total, 15,056 surveyed women were found to be free from any of the 11 chronic diseases, 23,196 did not experience any impairment in memory, 18,204 maintained good mental health, and 7,300 did not have problems in physical functioning.