Issues with mobility are a major factor in reduced quality of life in aging. Bamini Gopinath, from the University of Sydney (Australia), and colleagues studied data collected on 1,305 men and women, ages 55 years and older, who were enrolled in a large Australian study of common eye diseases and general health. Participants filled out questionnaires about what they ate and how often in 1992 to 1994. Researchers scored each person’s diet on a scale from 0 to 20 based the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Higher scores indicated better diets. The one-quarter of participants with the highest-quality diets had scores above 11.1. The one-quarter with the poorest diets scored 8.1 and below. Five and ten years after reporting on their diets, subjects completed surveys assessing their quality of life with regard to physical health, mental health, social functioning and vitality. Each area was measured on a scale of 0 to 100. On average, participants with the highest diet scores also reported a better quality of life. The team observed that physical function was almost six points higher among the healthiest eaters than the least healthy. As well, general health was four points higher among healthy eaters and vitality was five points higher. The study authors conclude that: “Higher diet quality was prospectively associated with better quality of life and functional ability.”
