Age Well with Plant Protein
When it comes to living your longest and healthiest life there is no one single factor but a lifestyle which supports your body to age well. One of these factors is your diet. It can be confusing with the amount of information available on the internet which foods are best to promote your health into later life. However, the research supporting the potential role of plant foods and proteins to help you live your longest and healthiest life is growing.
A new study which included women aged 70-93 years old were selected to be included in a prospective cohort study. The researchers investigated the effects of protein intake from different sources on healthy aging. Researchers assessed the effects of dairy, animal and plant protein on the effects on aging as well as the chance of developing chronic diseases.
Eleven chronic diseases were assessed. This included cancer, type two diabetes, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft surgery or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, congestive heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The researchers found that in general including protein and in adequate amounts were associated with greater odds-on healthy aging in later life. This makes sense as your body needs protein to maintain and repair all the cells in your body. As you age your need for protein increases as the body’s response to this macronutrient in comparison to a younger person decreases.
However, looking more closely at the types of protein and health there was a noticeable difference. Those women who had more total and animal protein had an unfavorable asocial with developing one of the eleven chronic diseases listed above. In contrast, those who included more protein from dairy and plant sources were less likely to develop chronic disease.
In addition, there was only a small favorable effect of including animal protein to promote physical function. Plant protein sources stood stronger again and more consistent in all analysis of physical function.
The reasons to include more plant protein were also seen in mental health. Researchers concluded that by swapping the amount of plant protein you have from animal or dairy protein or from the calories from saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, or monounsaturated fat by 3%, this resulted in 38% lower chance of developing chronic disease, to maintain better physical function and mental health as the women aged.
So where can you get plant protein? Protein from plants comes from several sources. Good amount of protein can come from plant foods such as nuts, seeds, legumes, beans, and wholegrains like quinoa, wholegrain rice, bread, pasta, couscous, and oats.
Take home message: If you think that you need to cut out all animal and dairy protein to live longer, I do not believe this is the case. Aiming to structure your meals to include at least ¾ plant-based foods and aiming for a meal or two a week without animal-based protein is a healthy habit to include for many reasons, one being to promote your health into later life.
Reference:
- Ardisson Korat AV, Shea MK, Jacques PF, Sebastiani P, Wang M, Eliassen AH, Willett WC, Sun Q. Dietary protein intake in midlife in relation to healthy aging - results from the prospective Nurses' Health Study cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2024 Feb;119(2):271-282. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.11.010. Epub 2024 Jan 17. PMID: 38309825; PMCID: PMC10884611.