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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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Eating any one of five well‑known healthy diets could add years to your life, even if your genetics don’t naturally favor longevity, new research suggests.
The findings come from a large study led by Yanling Lv of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, which analyzed health and diet data from more than 100,000 people enrolled in the UK Biobank, one of the world’s largest medical databases. Participants were followed for just over a decade, during which time 4,314 deaths were recorded.
According to the Pew Research Center, one in five Americans say their diets are 'not very healthy' or 'not healthy at all.' Nearly seven in ten also report that rising food prices have made it harder to eat well.
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However, studies have shown that the long‑term costs of a poor diet can be far greater, increasing the risk of chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
By analysing what people ate, how closely their diets aligned with established healthy eating patterns and their genetic makeup, researchers were able to estimate how many extra years of life could be gained through better eating habits.
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How Diet Was Measured
Participants regularly completed surveys detailing everything they had eaten in the previous 24 hours. The researchers then scored each person’s diet based on how closely it matched five widely recognized healthy eating patterns:
- Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil, and healthy fats
- Diabetes Risk Reduction Diet, focused on high‑fiber foods and low sugar intake
- DASH diet, designed to reduce high blood pressure
- Plant‑based diet, centered on whole plant foods
- Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), a broader measure of overall diet quality
The team also analyzed participants’ DNA, examining 19 genetic markers linked to longevity. This allowed researchers to separate the effects of diet from inherited risk.
Years Gained by Eating Better
The findings showed a clear pattern: people whose diets most closely matched these healthy eating plans lived longer than those with the poorest diets.
For a 45‑year‑old man, following a healthier diet was associated with an additional two to three years of life, depending on the eating pattern. Women gained slightly less, but still saw an average increase of between one and two additional years.
Some diets stood out more than others. Men saw the largest gains from the Diabetes Risk Reduction Diet, while women benefited most from a Mediterranean‑style diet. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index was also linked to notable increases in life expectancy for both sexes.
Crucially, these benefits remained even after researchers accounted for genetic differences, suggesting that healthier eating can help offset inherited risks.
What The Diets Have in Common
Harriet Moore, Nutrition Lead at Modern Baker, a UK-based food technology company, told Newsweek that all of the diets have more fiber and a wider range of phytonutrients such as whole grains, legumes, fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
"Fiber isn’t one thing: different fibers feed different gut microbes and produce very different metabolic effects and plant foods also bring phytonutrients that support health through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways," she said.
What Diet Changes Can Still Deliver Long-Term Health Benefits?
Kristy Thomas, a registered nutritionist at Prowise Healthcare with more than four years of experience in clinical nutrition and wellness, said people don’t need extreme dietary overhauls to see meaningful health improvements.
Thomas encourages people to do the following:
- Increase intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds foundational element of all the longevity-linked diets.
- Choose healthy fats (e.g., olive oil, nuts) and fish instead of high amounts of red or processed meats.
- Reduce added sugars, refined grains, and ultra-processed foods, which are consistently linked to higher mortality risk.
Why It Matters
The study reinforces long‑standing advice about healthy eating but goes a step further by estimating how much extra time those choices might actually buy.
Researchers found that foods most strongly linked to longer life included whole grains, fruits, and vegetables—staples shared across nearly all of the diets studied.
Rather than promoting one “perfect” way to eat, the findings suggest that following any balanced diet built around minimally processed, nutrient‑dense foods can make a meaningful difference over time.
Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about healthy diets? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Reference
Lv, Y., Song, J., Ding, D., Luo, M., He, F. J., Yuan, C., MacGregor, G. A., Liu, L., & Chen, L. (2026). Healthy dietary patterns, longevity genes, and life expectancy: A prospective cohort study. Science Advances, 12(7). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads7559
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