Eating better carbs in midlife linked to healthier ageing in women: Study

A long-term study has found that women who eat more high-quality carbohydrates and fibre during midlife are more likely to age healthily, with better mental and physical health and fewer chronic diseases later in life.

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A new study by researchers at Tufts University and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has found that eating high-quality carbohydrates and fibre during midlife can help women age more healthily.

The study analysed diet and health data from over 47,000 women in the long-running Nurses’ Health Study. Participants were between ages 70 and 93 in 2016. Researchers examined how their midlife intake of different carbohydrates affected their health decades later.

They found that women who consumed more high-quality carbohydrates—such as those from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes—as well as more dietary fibre, had a 6 to 37% higher chance of ageing in good physical and mental health. This included a lower risk of major chronic diseases and better cognitive and physical function.

In contrast, women who consumed more refined carbohydrates—like added sugars, refined grains, and potatoes—had a 13% lower chance of healthy ageing.

“We’ve always known that different carbs affect things like weight and blood sugar,” said lead author Andres Ardisson Korat from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts. “But this study shows that the type of carbs you eat in midlife could also impact how well you age.”

Healthy ageing in the study was defined as reaching older age without 11 major chronic diseases, and without significant mental or physical decline.

Senior author Qi Sun, a professor at Harvard, added, “This confirms what we already see—eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes helps prevent disease and also supports mental and physical function as we age.”

The study did note a limitation: Most of the participants were white health professionals. Future research is needed to confirm the findings in more diverse populations.

Ardisson Korat said further studies are also needed to understand exactly how fibre and high-quality carbohydrates affect ageing. “But it’s becoming clearer,” he said, “that midlife food choices can strongly influence how healthy you are in later life.”