Your Health and Wellness Partner

Eat well to keep up physical independence longer

Eat well to keep up physical independence longer

Physical independence is an essential part of healthy aging, but few studies have examined how diet affects physical function in old age. A new study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital addressed this question and found that this highly modifiable factor (i.e., diet) can have a large influence on maintaining physical function. This study was done in men but the results are similar to earlier results in women.

They classified food categories as follows: higher intake is better for vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and legumes, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids; moderate intake is better for alcohol, and lower intake is better for sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice, red and processed meats, trans fatty acids and sodium or salt.

Click here to view original article