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Vegetarian diet and healthy aging among Chinese older adults: A prospective study
Although vegetarian diets are gaining popularity around the globe, their influence on healthy aging in older adults is still not fully understood.
Vegetarian food and healthy aging : A prospective study
Using a cohort of 2,888 healthy older Chinese individuals from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, this study by Jigeer et al. (2025) investigated the association between vegetarian food patterns and healthy aging. A streamlined, non-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate the participants’ diets, which were classified as vegan, ovo-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, or omnivore. After controlling for lifestyle and sociodemographic variables, the results over a median follow-up period of six years revealed that vegetarians were much less likely than omnivores to age healthily. These results were true for the distinct elements of healthy aging as well as for other sensitivity analyses. It’s interesting to note that the study also discovered that the overall quality of a vegetarian diet may influence its health effects. When compared to omnivores, vegetarians with better food quality did not significantly vary in their results for healthy aging. These results suggest that including a modest amount of animal-based foods may enhance the overall health and aging outcomes of older adults who are otherwise healthy. [NPID: Vegetarian diet, healthy aging, older adults, diet quality, omnivorous diet, dietary patterns, nutrition and aging, longitudinal study, healthy lifestyle, geriatric nutrition]
Year: 2025
