A long-term study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has found that older adults who follow a healthy diet are less likely to develop multiple chronic diseases as they age.
In contrast, those who regularly eat an inflammatory diet may face a faster buildup of health problems.
The research was published in the journal Nature Aging and offers new insight into how diet can influence health later in life.
The study followed more than 2,400 Swedish seniors for 15 years, tracking how their eating habits affected their risk of developing long-term illnesses. The researchers compared the effects of four different diets.
Three of these diets were considered healthy and included lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and unsaturated fats. They also recommended avoiding sweets, red and processed meats, and butter or margarine.
The fourth diet, however, was labeled as pro-inflammatory. It included more red and processed meats, refined grains, and sugary drinks, along with fewer vegetables and less tea and coffee. People who followed this pattern of eating were more likely to develop chronic diseases as they got older.
According to the researchers, people who stuck to the healthy diets developed diseases like dementia and heart disease more slowly. However, the benefits didn’t seem to extend to conditions related to bones and muscles.
Dr. Adrián Carballo-Casla, a postdoctoral researcher at the Aging Research Centre at Karolinska Institutet, was one of the first authors of the study. He explained that the results highlight the powerful role diet plays in healthy aging.
A good diet can help prevent multimorbidity, which is when someone has multiple chronic diseases at the same time—a common concern among older adults.
The team now plans to take the research further by trying to find out which specific dietary habits offer the most protection. They also want to understand which groups of older adults—based on factors like age, gender, background, or existing health conditions—might benefit the most from dietary changes.
The study was supported by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare. The researchers have declared no conflicts of interest.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about 9 signs you have inflammation in your body. Could an anti-inflammatory diet help? and high-salt diet strongly changes your kidneys.
For more about diet, please read studies that fiber is your body’s natural guide to weight management and diet and nerve damage in diabetes: a novel insight.
The study is published in Nature aging.
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