Eating Healthy Can Extend Life by a Decade—and Also Lower Cancer Risk

A young adult who switches from a typical Western diet to a plant-based eating pattern—one that also lowers risk of the most common cancers, packed with whole grains, legumes, and plant foods, and less red and processed meat—can add more than a decade to their life, finds a new study.

Those same dietary changes made by an 80 year old would also increase their life expectancy by multiple years. And even smaller shifts to a healthier diet made by people of all ages could add years of life.

The study was published in PLOS Medicine.

The paper’s estimates are based on population data and not intended for individual forecasting, but they place a clear and dramatic figure on the importance of diet for good health. Recent research shows that a plant-based diet plays a key role in reducing the risk of cancer.

Whole grains and an optimal diet for longer life
For the estimates, the paper used data from a 2019 Global Burden of Disease study to build a model that predicted how various food groups could affect life expectancy. This paper found that unhealthy diets lead to preventable deaths annually.

The authors of the new study compared the typical Western diet to what they called the optimal diet, based on the analyses. The optimal diet was higher in whole grains, legumes, fish, fruits and vegetables, and included a handful of nuts, while reducing red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages and refined grains, compared to the Western diet.

The paper also calculated life expectancy based on food choices in-between the optimal and Western diet, what the authors call a feasibility approach.

For 20 years olds, the model estimates that a continued change from a typical Western to optimal diet would extend women’s lives by close to 11 years and men’s by 13 years.

The largest life expectancy gains would be made by eating more legumes, whole grains and nuts, and less red and processed meat.

Changing from a typical to the optimal diet at age 60 could add an estimated 8 years to life for women and almost 9 for men; 80 year olds could gain 3.4 years from such dietary changes. Moving to an eating pattern that was half of the optimal—the feasibility approach—also led to significant gains in life expectancy among people of all ages. For example, a 40 year old who shifted from a Western pattern of eating to a feasibility diet could gain approximately another 6 years of life; an 80 year old could gain another 2 years.

Lower cancer risk and chronic disease
Strong research shows that eating more whole grains and fibre specifically along with less red and processed meat lowers risk of colorectal cancer. Beans, fruits, vegetables and a healthy eating pattern will give you fibre, nutrients and phytochemicals that may help prevent cancer, and manage your weight. At Vitawell, we also recommend cutting back on sugary drinks and processed foods high in sugar, fat and starches, which will also help with weight control.

Staying a healthy weight is one of the most important lifestyle steps adults can take to reduce the risk of the most common cancers.

This same pattern of healthy eating is also linked to lowering risk of having obesity and diabetes, two chronic diseases linked to increased cancer risk. This plant-forward diet can also reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases throughout all stages of a person’s life.

This recent study uses a modelling approach, and there are limitations to its findings. The study is based on previous analyses, which have their own caveats. The estimates do not account for differences in a population’s specific risk factors or genetic risks. The time for dietary change to have an effect was also uncertain, as previous research has varied. Here, the study assumed it would take 10 years to achieve full effects.

Yet, as the authors conclude: Even the most conservative approaches show strong effects in increasing life expectancy because of dietary changes.

For support shifting to a healthier eating and lifestyle pattern, join Vitawell Wellness online Healthy10 Challenge, a 10-week program that puts cancer Prevention Recommendations in action!