A diet high in fish, fruits and vegetables and low in sugar and sodium may help explain the longevity of centenarians’ children, according to a new study.
The study is the first to take a comprehensive look at the dietary habits of centenarians’ offspring who share their parents’ longevity genes and many of their life environments, scientists at Tufts University say.
More people are living a full 100 years now than in previous generations, prompting researchers to look into the health secrets of their longevity.
While genetics contributes about 50 per cent of the variability in age at death, factors like nutrition also play a major role.
The new study looked for patterns in the offspring of centenarians that could help everyone, regardless of genetic lineage, live longer lives.
“Nutrition is an impactful, non-genetic factor that is under someone’s control that could influence how long they live and how long they live a healthy life,” said Erfei Zhao, author of the study published in the journal Science.
Researchers started interviewing the offspring of centenarians at Boston University in 2005, when the adult children were in their 70s, and the ongoing research is now informed by 20 years of data. Many of the children are now in their 90s.
“Having now followed the offspring of centenarians for 20 years, we know that, as a group, they have experienced significantly lower risks of stroke, dementia, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” Paola Sebastiani, another author of the study, said.
The findings suggest that the offspring of long-lived parents consume diets better for metabolic, heart, and brain health.
Comparing the diet of the offspring of centenarians with that of people whose parents did not live as long revealed a significant difference, researchers found. The former ate higher amounts of fish, fruits and vegetables, and consumed less sugar and substantially less sodium.
“These elements may represent behavioural pathways that complement or amplify inherited biological resilience,” they said.
“It isn’t just one food and it isn’t just nutrition and ‘eating healthy’ alone that will help someone reach that 100-year-old milestone,” Dr Zhao explained. “It is a variety of environmental and genetic factors that we are just beginning to tease out.”
Researchers highlight the need to educate people of all socioeconomic levels to eat more whole grains and incorporate more beans, tofu, and other legumes in their diet.
“We also need to find ways to make it more affordable and convenient for people to eat more fruits and vegetables, fish, and other healthier foods,” study co-author Andres Ardisson Korat said,
Informed by the findings from the latest study, researchers hope to make healthy ageing more accessible and affordable for everyone.
“Our goal is not simply finding ways to help people live longer but helping them find ways to be healthier as they age,” Dr Sebastiani said.
“I believe this study in the years ahead, plus other research we are doing, will help us reach that goal for more people, no matter what is in their genes.”
