Western-Style Diet Linked to Premature Death

Numerous previous studies suggest a role for diet on specific aging-related diseases – most notably, heart disease and diabetes.  Tasnime Akbaraly, from INSERM (France), and colleagues examined whether diet, assessed in midlife, predicts future aging and disease.  The team used the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), an index of diet quality, originally designed to provide dietary guidelines with the specific intention to combat major chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.  The researchers assessed data drawn from the British Whitehall II cohort study involving  5,350 adults (average age 51.3 years).  They found that following the AHEI can double the odds of reversing metabolic syndrome, a condition known to be a strong predictor of heart disease and mortality. Conversely, the team determined that participants with low adherence to the AHEI increased their risk of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death. Those who followed a “Western-type diet” consisting of fried and sweet food, processed food and red meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products lowered their chances for ideal aging.  The study authors conclude that: “By considering healthy aging as a composite of cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, respiratory, mental, and cognitive function, the present study offers a new perspective on the impact of diet on aging phenotypes.”