Eating healthy foods has a vast array of positive effects on the body and mind, one of which is extending physical mobility with age. As much as it is beneficial to focus on foods that prevent potentially lethal illnesses, it would be helpful to eat those that prolong overall physical functioning. Because aging and unhealthy lifestyles weaken our physical capabilities.
The comprehensive, long-term Nurse Health Study, conducted by Grodstein and team, interviewed 55000 U.S. women over a period of three decades. The study was established in 1976 by Dr. Frank Speizer and continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health. The focus was identifying major risk factors of chronic illness in U.S. women.
The Nurse Health Study published findings in the Journal of Nutrition indicating the relationship between walnuts and physical ability with age. By consuming one to two nuts per week, older U.S. women may be able to reduce the risk of developing physical impairments.
According to Sunday World, Dr. Francine Grodstein observed, “Little research has been done on how diet impacts physical function later in life.”
Participants in the study were requested to complete numerous questionnaires over a series of time to investigate and analyze their diets. The research also included self-reported surveys completed every four years between the years 1992 and 2008.
Similar Studies
Research such as the Seven Country and Lyon Heart Studies have shown that a Mediterranean diet could reduce inflammation and prolong life.
Furthermore, researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that maintaining a high fiber diet could reduce women’s risk of developing breast cancer. Data indicated that women who ate more fiber during adolescence and early adulthood had a 12% to 19% reduced risk of developing breast cancer.
Benefits of eating healthy
According to the Huffington Post, walnuts contain 13 grams of polyunsaturated fat per ounce when ingested, omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-linolenic acid. The nut is seen as a superfood, protecting the body’s decreasing capability to function independently. It is unfortunate that not many people have access to them.
Moreover, other types of food rich in natural body boosting substances are the following: apples, oranges, pears and Romaine or leaf lettuce.
Consumption of junk food, high-fat foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and excess alcohol all contribute to a premature decay in the body’s functioning. A healthy lifestyle consisting of high nutrition meals with exercise on the side decreases the risk of developing physical impairment associated with aging and a little nourishment diet.
Limitations of research
Although the study is contributing to scientific knowledge focusing on women and their health, the number of participants in the study is not sufficient to generalize conclusions of the findings. Furthermore, the credibility and validity of the evidence obtained from the self-reported questionnaires are under scrutiny when there is such a degree of bias.
Goldstein and team have nonetheless developed a model that can be critiqued, followed and reproduced in other social contexts to further investigate how to benefit women’s health and diversify the methods and participants employed in the research.
Source: ModVive