Eating High-Quality Carbs in Your 40s May Be the Secret to Aging Well

Adding more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes to your diet in your 40s may help you age better. A new study found that people who ate high-quality carbohydrates and fiber in midlife had better cognitive health and fewer chronic diseases as they got older.

What the Study Found

The study included three decades of data from over 47, 500 women involved in the Nurses’ Health Study. The findings suggest that a midlife diet rich in high-quality carbs and dietary fiber promotes healthy aging. 

“We looked at healthy aging in terms of four different components or domains – the absence of chronic disease, being in good physical function, good cognitive function, and having good mental health,” Andres Ardisson Korat, ScD, lead author of the study and a Scientist II at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, told Verywell.

Since this was an observational study, the findings don’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship between fiber, high-quality carbs, and healthy aging.

However, there is a “very clear association” between high-quality carbs and high levels of dietary fiber with good physical health and cognitive function in older adulthood, he added.

More research is needed to better understand this relationship in other populations since the Nurses’ Health Study primarily includes well-educated White women.

How to Eat More High-Quality Carbs

If you want to add more high-quality carbs to your diet, start with fiber-rich whole foods, according to Jen Bruning, MS, RDN, LDN, a Chicago-based registered dietitian and Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“Sources of fiber from high-quality carbohydrate foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes may play important roles in our longevity,” she told Verywell.

In midlife, most women need 25 to 28 grams (g) of fiber per day, and men need 31 to 34 g.

Some examples include:

• A half cup of cooked split peas: 8 g of fiber
• One cup of raspberries: 8 g of fiber
• One cup of cooked sweet potatoes: 6 g of fiber
• One cup of cooked Brussels sprouts: 6 g of fiber
• A half cup of cooked chickpeas: 6 g of fiber

Most People Need More Fiber

Fiber may promote healthy aging since it helps lower chronic inflammation markers and bad cholesterol levels. However, more research is needed to understand how fiber supports physical and cognitive function, Ardisson Korat said.

Most U.S. adults don’t get enough fiber, so adding more high-quality fiber-rich carbs to your diet may support longevity and overall health. Fiber boosts heart health, regulates blood sugar, and helps keep your bowel movements regular.

Don’t overload your diet with fiber too quickly. Fiber-rich foods can cause gas or bloating for people who typically follow a low-fiber diet. Drinking plenty of water can also help cut down on this discomfort.

Healthy Midlife Diet May Boost Longevity

Adopting these healthy dietary habits in midlife can make a big difference for your longevity.

“There are many changes in mid-life that relate to changes in hormones, impacting body composition, energy levels, and metabolism. This is also a time that is thought to be important in the development of cognitive impairments later in life,” Bruning said.

This was not the first study to show that what you eat in your 40s may play a big role in your longevity. Another recent study, also co-authored by Ardisson Korat, found an association between ultra-processed foods and a 32% lower chance of healthy aging.

“The reason to look at midlife is because that is the relevant window for most risk factors, like diet or physical activity, to essentially start affecting our health in older adulthood,” Ardisson Korat said.

Making dietary or lifestyle changes in your 40s and 50s is more impactful than making those changes in your 70s or 80s, he added.