If you’re one of those people that are always looking at the labels on foods to see their nutritional value, you love eating fresh fruits and vegetables, love the feeling you get after a good workout, then your body will thank you when you’re old. People who have a healthier diet throughout their adult lives are more likely to be stronger and fitter in older age than those who don’t, according to a new study led by the University of Southampton.
Scientists from the University’s Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (MRC LEU), in partnership with colleagues at the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, looked at the dietary patterns of a group of 969 British men and women whose lifestyles have been monitored since they were born, in March 1946.
Using information collected at four points in their adult lives (between 36 and 60-64 years), they examined diet at different ages in relation to three standard measures of physical function at age 60-64 (chair rise, timed up-and-go speeds, standing balance).
