These Nutrition Studies Have Changed Our Perspective On Sugar, The Mediterranean Diet, & More

In December of last year, we shared our top nutrition learnings from 2023—from the metabolic health benefits of savory breakfasts to the case for seafood diversity. Now, even just a few months into 2024, we've seen research that is just as worthy of time in the spotlight.

Biological age is more than a trendy test in the well-being community—it can actually help gauge dementia risk. And food can play a huge role in it. In one new study published in the journal Annals of Neurology, researchers set out to understand why a healthy diet is linked to a lower risk of dementia,1 discovering that biological age plays a role.

To do so, they analyzed data from over 1,600 participants aged 60 or older without dementia at the start. They found that adhering to a healthy diet, as measured by the MIND diet score, was associated with a slower pace of aging and reduced risks of dementia and mortality in the future. 

This slower pace of aging, as measured by epigenetic factors, accounted for a pretty significant portion of the association between a healthy diet and lower dementia risk. This means that monitoring the pace of aging could in fact inform dementia prevention strategies. 

A recent meta-analysis2 published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition examined 20 clinical studies investigating the cardiovascular risks of various beverages, including tea, coffee, fruit juice, energy drinks, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages. 

The analysis revealed that long-term consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and alcohol increased the risk of cardiovascular mortality in both men and women. However, due to insufficient data, researchers were unable to determine the cardiovascular risk associated with fruit juices (high in natural sugar) and energy drinks.

In this study, comprised of 100,000 adults, those who drank SSBs more than twice a week had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of recommended levels of physical activity. 

Now, don't get it twisted, exercise is great for the heart. However, this study suggests it may not fully diminish the negative effects of excessive sugary drinks—another reason to be mindful of sugar intake. 

The Mediterranean diet, celebrated for its longevity perks and user-friendly guidelines, keeps racking up new accolades. So when we came across a new study showing yet another benefit of following it, we weren't necessarily surprised. However, what's interesting about this research is that it dug into the specific foods that could be driving most of the diet's effects.

The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, surveyed 798 participants aged 64 to 97 to assess adherence to the Mediterranean diet. People (particularly women) who closely followed this diet had a 54.6% lower risk of depression symptoms4.

We already know that protein is paramount for optimal well-being (dive deeper into why and how much you need here) but one new study stresses its profound importance during midlife. 

Published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study analyzed data from over 48,000 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study cohort who were aged 60 and above in 1984. They utilized food frequency questionnaires to assess protein intake (both plant and animal proteins). Researchers deemed “healthy aging” as freedom from major chronic diseases, good mental health, and no impairments in cognitive or physical function.