Plant protein holds the secret to healthier ageing in women, according to this 32-year study

Author: Maria Chiorando

Women have a stronger tendency towards healthy ageing if they get more protein from plants than from meat, according to research...

Read Time:   |  24th January 2024


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Women have a stronger tendency towards healthy ageing if they get more protein from plants than from meat, according to research.

Scientists found that middle-aged women who consume lots of beans, nuts and other animal-free sources of protein are almost 50 per cent more likely to age healthily than if they eat meat.

Those who consumed protein in the form of vegetable, legumes, pasta, beans and fruits were observed by the scientists to have significantly fewer cases of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and cognitive and mental health decline.

Conversely, the study found that women who consumed more protein from animal sources were more likely to have some type of chronic condition.

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The study implies vegan women tend to be healthier as they age. Photo © FatCamera via Getty Images

The study implies vegan women tend to be healthier as they age. Photo © FatCamera via Getty Images

The key to healthy ageing

The lead author of the study was Andres Ardisson Korat, a scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

He said: “Consuming protein in midlife was linked to promoting good health in older adulthood.

“We also found that the source of protein matters. Getting the majority of your protein from plant sources at midlife, plus a small amount of animal protein, seems to be conducive to good health and good survival in older ages.

“Those who consumed greater amounts of animal protein tended to have more chronic disease and didn’t manage to obtain the improved physical function that we normally associate with eating protein.”

As a result of their findings, researchers recommended that woman consume the majority of protein from plants. However, to get iron and B12, they recommended some fish and animal protein (which can be supplemented, according to The Vegan Society).

Dr Ardisson Korat said: “Dietary protein intake, especially plant protein, in midlife, plays an important role in the promotion of healthy ageing and in maintaining positive health status at older ages.”

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Sources of protein in the ‘healthy ageing’ study

At the start of the study, in 1984, protein from plants was defined as:

  • bread
  • vegetables
  • fruits
  • pizza
  • cereal
  • baked items
  • mashed potatoes
  • nuts
  • beans
  • peanut butter
  • pasta

Sources of animal protein included:

  • beef
  • chicken
  • milk
  • fish
  • cheese

Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Study

To do their study, the researchers used data from the Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Study. This followed female healthcare professionals aged between 38 and 59 in 1984 in the years between 1984 and 2016.

At the beginning of the study, they were deemed to be in good physical and mental health.

Scientists looked at data which showed how much and how frequently people ate particular food. They looked at the correlation between diet (in terms of their intake of dietary protein) and how it affected ageing.

Women who developed 11 chronic conditions, or who lost significant physical function or mental health had their diets compared with women who did not.

It was found that those women who consumed more plant-based protein were much more likely to be healthy as they aged – 46 per cent more likely. The intake of plant protein was also linked with good mental health.

Consuming more animal protein was linked with women being just six per cent more likely to age healthily.

Older and thinking about going plant-based? Here’s how to start a healthy vegan diet over 50.

Featured photo © monkeybusinessimages via Getty Images

Written by

Maria Chiorando

Maria is an editor and journalist. Her work has been published by the Huffington Post, the Guardian, TechnoBuffalo, Plant Based News, and Kent on Sunday among other national and regional titles.

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