BERGEN, Norway — What if changing how you eat could add up to 13 years to your life?
Well, according to a study published on Feb. 8 in the journal "PLOS Medicine" that looks at the impact your food choices have on your life expectancy, it's a plausible reality.
Researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway say making sustained dietary changes, especially at a younger age, could prove beneficial for extending your life.
"Our results indicate that for individuals with a typical Western diet, sustained dietary changes at any age may give substantial health benefits, although the gains are the largest if changes start early in life," the study reads.
Based on data derived from looking at trends in the United States, the study found 20-year-old men who make beneficial dietary changes could increase their life expectancy by up to 13 years. For women in the same age range, a more well-rounded diet could add up to 10 years.
As you age, the study finds, the life expectancy benefits of a change in diet starts to drop with 80-year-old men and women seeing only a gain of 3.4 years
Researchers say the largest gains in life expectancy, when switching from a Western diet to an optimized diet, comes from eating more whole grains, nuts, and legumes. Eating less red and processed meat also proved beneficial, according to the study.
The study adds that eating fruits, vegetables, and fish also proved to have a "substantial positive impact."
"Food is fundamental for health, and globally dietary risk factors are estimated to cause 11 million deaths and 255 million disability-adjusted life years annually," the study reads.
To complete the study, researchers used data from the Global Burden of Disease study, meta-analyses, and life table methodology.