A study in the British Medical Journal, published 8 January 2020, provides more evidence that a healthy lifestyle can lead to more healthy years later in life.
The study examined over 100,000 records of American nursing staff, over a period of 20 years.
The conclusion was that:
In terms of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, the life expectancy free of these ailments was increased in women by nearly 11 years, and in men nearly 8 years, comparing people with a healthy lifestyle against those with a less healthy lifestyle.
The factors that were considered healthy were: never smoking, keeping a healthy body mass index, getting moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, having only a moderate alcohol intake, and having a high-quality diet.
The highest score on diet was associated with:
Lots of: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, long-chain Omega 3, polyunsaturated fats.
Little or no: sweetened beverages, fruit juice, red meat, trans fats, saturated fats, sodium (salt).
And just 1 (women) or 2 (men) alcoholic drinks each day.
The lesson for us all is that changes in diet and lifestyle do have a benefit in reducing the chances of many serious ailments.