Carbohydrate quality in midlife matters for women’s healthy aging
The research described in this article was made possible in part by federal funding awarded to Harvard Chan School scientists in the interest of protecting and promoting health for all. The future of research like this is now in question due to the government’s actions to terminate large numbers of grants and contracts and freeze funding for scientific inquiry and innovation across Harvard University.
Women who ate diets rich in high-quality carbohydrates—including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes—were more likely to stay healthy as they aged than those who did not, according to a recent study led by researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The researchers also found that eating diets high in low-quality carbohydrates, such as added sugar, refined grains, and potatoes, lowered women’s odds of staying healthy as they aged.
The study, published May 16 in JAMA Network Open, defined healthy aging as staying free from 11 major chronic diseases including cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and heart failure, lacking cognitive and physical function impairments, and maintaining good mental health.
The researchers used health data from more than 47,000 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study between 1984 and 2016.
“Our results are consistent with other evidence linking consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes with lower risks of chronic diseases, and now we see the association with physical and cognitive function outcomes,” said senior author Qi Sun, associate professor in the departments of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard Chan School, in a Tufts University press release.
A May 16 Fortune Well article noted that the study centered on sources of fiber in the diet, which dietitians generally recommend as a better option than fiber supplements.
Read the Fortune Well article: Eating these carbs can help boost healthy aging, according to a 30-year study
