The population is aging rapidly and, with aging, chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and other more dangerous conditions also proliferate. This means that you have to take care of yourself, and the best way to start taking care of yourself is by optimizing your diet.
A team from Tufts University in Boston has suggested through a recent study that including more protein in the diet when reaching middle age promotes healthier aging. But they do not refer to any type of protein.
The authors analyzed a database that Harvard University had with data from 48,000 female health workers in the North American public health system, with data between 1984 and 2016. These were nurses who completed a questionnaire every four years, and which included information about their feeding. From this they extracted the amount and type of nutritional elements they ingested, such as proteins.
Basically, the work consisted of comparing nutritional data with health status and observing whether they had registered at least one of the diseases from a certain list, which included cancer, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and ALS. .
Although it was proven that an increase in protein intake is beneficial in adulthood regardless of the type of protein consumed, the researchers also observed that plant-based proteins were those that provided the greatest benefit in terms of aging with fewer chronic diseases. and higher quality of life.
One of the hypotheses that the experts extracted about this specific benefit was that, if most of the proteins are of plant origin, it is because the diet is based mainly on fruits and vegetables, foods that have many other components that promote health. , while stopping eating so much red meat, saturated fats and other less healthy ingredients. That is to say: it would not only be a question of the type of proteins ingested, but of a more global benefit produced by the predominance of vegetables.
Curiously, in 1984, when the data for the Harvard study began to be collected, all those that came from this unusual list were considered proteins of plant origin:
Currently, this list with the presence of ultra-processed foods would be a big red flag for any nutritionist, like Kelsey Costa, who, in statements to Medical News Today, explained that “for healthy aging, a predominantly plant-based diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, is recommended. or any other balanced diet based on fruits, vegetables and other vegetables. Minimize the intake of foods of animal origin, placing emphasis on the consumption of healthy foods of plant origin.
“However,” he warns, “do not trust ultra-processed ‘plant-based’ food products, which contain a minimal amount of whole grain product and an abundance of salt, refined oils and added sugars. Instead, opt for predominantly unprocessed versions of whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and add some healthy processed foods such as tofu, pre-cooked lentils or chickpea pasta,” he advised.
