It's Never Too Late To Live Longer

Eat Healthy After 70 & You'll Boost Chances of Reaching 80 by 24%

Say you've made it to the ripe old age of 70 after a lifetime of not-so-great eating habits -- why change now?

Because you may live longer, new research suggests.  
While the link between diet and longevity is well studied, many seniors think that after a certain age, what they eat doesn't really matter. Not true, according to a study just published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Scientists from the University of Maryland looked at the diets of 2,582 seniors (ages 70 to 79), categorizing them as mostly healthy foods (fruit, veggies, fish, poultry, whole grains, etc.), high-fat dairy (ice cream, cheese, less produce), sweets/desserts (doughnuts, cakes, cookies, etc.) and other dietary patterns. During the 10-year study, 739 people died.

Compared to the healthy foods group, the high-fat dairy eaters were 40% more likely to die, while the sweets group was 37% more likely to die during that decade. The healthy foods group also enjoyed significantly higher intakes of folate (+17%), vitamin B12 (+22%), and beta-carotene (vitamin A, +36%).
Such findings have important implications for our aging population, as the worldwide number of people over age 65 is expected to more than double to nearly 1 billion by 2030.

The effects of an unhealthy diet and lifestyle are cumulative -- yet also highly responsive to change. Previous research suggests that 75% of your longevity potential comes from choices which affect not just the length of life, but its quality as well. For example, one study found that seniors who ate over 2 cups of veggies daily enjoyed a 38% decrease in the rate of cognitive decline.

Exercise plays a key role too: Dr. David Nieman found that active older women had immune cells that functioned 67% higher than those of less active women.

Source : VegSource.com

Vegetable Consumption Keeps Brains Sharp Well Into Old Age, Study Suggests

It is no secret that vegetables are good for you, but recent research by scientists at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center suggests that their benefits may extend into old age, helping slow mental decline and keeping the brain young.

The study, funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging, looked at 1,946 men and women in the Chicago area aged 65 and older, through a six-year period.

The participants were tested for short-term and delayed memory by recounting elements of a story that had just been read to them. They were also tested using flashcards with symbols and numbers. All participants did gradually worsen over time, but those who ate more than two servings of vegetables a day showed about 40 percent less mental decline than those who ate few or no vegetables.

Lead study author Martha Clare Morris said the results of the people who ate a lot of vegetables were what would be expected from participants about five years younger. It was also noted that the group that ate more vegetables were also more likely to be physically active, suggesting a connection between mind and body health, said neuroscientist Maria Carillo, director of medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer's Association.

The results -- reported in this week's issue of the journal Neurology -- suggested that green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and collards appeared to provide the greatest benefit, most likely because they contain healthy amounts of the antioxidant vitamin E, the researchers said. Morris suggested the benefits might be reinforced by the healthy fats that are often eaten with vegetables, such as salad oils, which improve the absorption of antioxidants.

The researchers only studied mental decline, and did not account for any participants developing Alzheimer's disease, and they noted that the study does not prove vegetables positively impact cognitive decline, but adds to growing evidence that suggests it to be true.

"There's no question about it. A plant-based diet is the optimum diet for longevity, disease prevention and peak cognitive function," said Mike Adams, a holistic nutritionist and author of "The Seven Laws of Nutrition." "At the same time, diets high in the consumption of meat and animal products, including dairy, slow the brain while accelerating aging. If you want to live a long, healthy, disease free life, get your nutrition from plants and superfoods."

Source : Natural News