A recent study from Aarhus University in Denmark shows that following the new Nordic dietary guidelines can help people live longer.
These guidelines were made not just for better health, but also to help protect the environment.
The main idea behind the Nordic diet is to eat less meat and sugar, and eat more whole grains, beans, fish, and low-fat dairy.
These guidelines were published in 2023 and were designed with both human health and the climate in mind.
Researchers at Aarhus University found that middle-aged men and women in Sweden who followed these guidelines had a 23% lower risk of dying early compared to those who did not. This result remained true even after accounting for things like income, education, and how much people exercised.
The study looked at more than 76,000 people from two large research groups: the Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men.
Since 1997, these participants have shared information about their eating and lifestyle habits, giving scientists a lot of helpful data.
One of the researchers, Associate Professor Christina Dahm, said that people who followed the guidelines also had lower chances of dying from cancer and heart disease. She believes the findings are important for all Nordic and Baltic countries because they all use the same nutrition guidelines.
The study is also important for the planet. Around 30% of greenhouse gas emissions made by humans come from how we grow and eat our food. So if we can eat in a way that’s good for both our bodies and the Earth, that’s a big win.
This study is the first to show that the new Nordic diet can lower the risk of dying early. Dahm says this proves that we can eat in a healthy and climate-friendly way, at least when it comes to living longer.
Researchers still need to look into whether the diet helps with other health problems, like obesity, diabetes, or cancer. Dahm and her team plan to study that in the future.
In summary, eating the Nordic way—not too much meat or sugar, and plenty of grains, beans, fish, and dairy—can help you live longer and help the planet, too.
If you care about health, please read studies about why beetroot juice could help lower blood pressure in older adults, and potassium may be key to lowering blood pressure.
For more health information, please see recent studies about rosemary compound that could fight Alzheimer’s disease, and too much of this vitamin B may harm heart health.
The study is published in The Journal of Nutrition.
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