When it comes to healthy eating, all carbs are not created equal. From the healthy to the not-so-good, carbohydrates make up around half of most diets. Now, according to new research, scientists have discovered that the carbs we include in our meals can significantly influence how we age — for better or worse.
The science behind carbs and aging
Researchers from Tufts University and Harvard University have completed a new study on carbohydrates, revealing more about how nutrition affects aging, specifically in women. Relying on Nurses’ Health Study data of more than 47,000 women from 1984 to 2016, the study concluded — unsurprisingly — that the same carbs that are bad for your health are also bad for aging.
“We’ve all heard that different carbohydrates can affect health differently, whether for weight, energy, or blood sugar levels,” lead study author Andres Ardisson Korat said in a news release. “But rather than just look at the immediate effects of these macronutrients, we wanted to understand what they might mean for good health 30 years later. Our findings suggest that carbohydrate quality may be an important factor in healthy aging.”
When consuming refined carbs (white bread, pastries, etc.), women were 13% less likely to age with good health. People who ate whole carbs (fruits, vegetables, etc.) were 6% to 37% more likely to age with good health. Achieving that healthy aging status was no easy feat, either.
The researchers defined healthy aging as older adults who avoided 11 major chronic diseases — including cancer, Type 2 diabetes and stroke — experienced no cognitive or physical impairments and self-reported good mental health. Of the nearly 50,000 women observed, only 3,706 were considered to have experienced healthy aging. That’s around an 8% success rate.
“Studies are starting to find an association between food choices in midlife and quality of life in later years. The more we can understand about healthy aging, the more science can help people live healthier for longer,” Korat explained.
What are healthy carbs?
Anyone looking to hedge their bets on aging should consider consuming fewer refined carbs and more whole carbs.
Refined carbs are found in processed foods that either lack their natural fiber or have altered fiber. Refined carbs can be found in things like white bread, sugar-sweetened drinks, certain cereals, white rice and anything made with white flour.
While this study revealed that refined carbs can decrease a person’s odds of healthy aging, it also found that whole carbs can greatly improve a person’s odds. These carbohydrates come from minimally processed foods that still contain most of their natural fiber. These include vegetables, fruit, legumes, beans and whole grains.
While refined carbs have been linked to deadly diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, senior study author Qi Sun pointed out that their research is just the latest among many to suggest that eating a balanced diet including whole carbohydrates can lower those same risks.
“Our results are consistent with other evidence linking consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes with lower risks of chronic diseases, and now we see the association with physical and cognitive function outcomes,” he said in the news release.
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