Carbohydrate Quality Influences Healthy Aging in Women

TOPLINE:

High-quality carbohydrate and dietary fiber intake during midlife is associated with 31% and 17% higher odds of healthy aging in women, while refined carbohydrates show 13% lower odds of healthy aging.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study using data from the Nurses’ Health Study from January 1984 to December 2016, including 47,513 female participants with a mean baseline age of 48.5 years.
• Nutrient intakes were assessed using food frequency questionnaires from 1984 and 1986, measuring total carbohydrates, refined carbohydrates, high-quality carbohydrates from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, dietary fiber, and glycemic index.
• The primary outcome of healthy aging was defined as absence of major chronic diseases, lack of cognitive and physical function impairments, and good mental health, assessed through questionnaires in 2014 or 2016.
• Analysis utilized multivariate logistic regression to calculate associations between carbohydrate variables and healthy aging outcomes.

TAKEAWAY:

• Among 47,513 participants, 7.8% met the healthy aging definition, with every 10% calorie increment in high-quality carbohydrates showing higher odds of healthy aging (odds ratio [OR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.22-1.41).
• Carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains were positively associated with healthy aging (OR, 1.11-1.37; 95% CI, 1.07-1.57 per 5% energy increment).
• Total dietary fiber and fiber from fruits, vegetables, and cereals were linked to higher odds of healthy aging (OR, 1.07-1.17; 95% CI, 1.03-1.22 per 1-SD increment).
• Higher glycemic index (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.67-0.87) and carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.62-0.81) were inversely associated with healthy aging when comparing extreme quintiles.

IN PRACTICE:

“In this cohort study of women, intakes of carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and dietary fiber in midlife were favorably associated with healthy aging. Conversely, intakes of refined carbohydrates were unfavorably associated with healthy aging,” wrote the authors of the study.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Andres V. Ardisson Korat, ScD, US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. It was published online on in JAMA Network Open.

LIMITATIONS:

According to the authors, the study population included mostly well-educated participants who consumed a higher proportion of high-quality carbohydrates than the general US population, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. While the food frequency questionnaire showed good validity compared with dietary records and biomarkers, measurement error in dietary exposure assessment was inevitable. Additionally, the diet and outcome data were more than 10 years old; therefore, the effect of more recent changes in diet or detection of outcomes could not be addressed.

DISCLOSURES:

The study received support from the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service and the National Institutes of Health. Coauthor Paul F. Jacques reported being an advisory board member for Danone, outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.