You’ve probably already heard that fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans are good for you. But it looks like you can also add bread, pasta, mashed potatoes, baked goods, and even pizza to that list.
say so new medical research The study, led by researchers at Tufts University, will be published this week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study is based on an analysis of 48,000 women over 32 years.
Researchers found that people who had a diet high in plant-based protein were 46% more likely to stay healthy in later life than those who didn’t. This means you’re more likely to avoid conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, as well as declines in cognitive and mental health.
The same was not true for people who ate more animal proteins such as meat, fish, and cheese.
The main sources of plant protein listed in the study included bread, vegetables, fruits, mashed potatoes, nuts, beans, peanut butter, pasta, and even pizza, cereals, and baked goods.
“Protein intake during midlife was associated with improved health in later life,” said study lead author Andres Ardison, a researcher at the USDA’s Gene Mayer Center for Human Nutrition Research on Aging.・Mr. Collato said in a statement. “We also know that the source of protein is important. Getting the majority of your protein from plant sources in midlife, along with a small amount of animal protein, is important for your health and well-being into old age. It seems to help with good survival.”
But…pizza? Baked sweets? Ardison Collato said by phone that the findings should not be misinterpreted. Bread, pizza, and baked goods are on the list because they are a major part of the American diet and contain gluten, a plant-based protein. “It doesn’t mean everything will be fine.” [the list] Although healthy, [those items] “We ended up assembling them into a group of plant-based proteins,” he says.
In other words, eating a lot of pizza doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for you, but if you eat pizza, which many people do, the plant-based proteins in pizza are good for you.
This study is based on the Nurses’ Health Study, a long-term observational study of female healthcare professionals. Researchers studied a cohort of women from 1984 to 2016. Participants ranged in age from 38 to 59 years at the start of the study and, if alive, were between 70 and 91 years old at the end.
Researchers looked at people who were staying healthy and those who were not, and compared their diets. Participants in the study completed a questionnaire detailing their food intake every four years.
This study has some obvious limitations. It is observational and based on self-reported nutritional data. And the study’s subjects were overwhelmingly white women, raising questions about whether the findings apply to people of other ethnic backgrounds and to men.
The findings are also relative. For example, it may be better to eat bread or pizza than a bacon double cheeseburger, but that doesn’t mean it’s better to eat bread or pizza than to eat beans, salad, or fruit.
It also doesn’t mean it’s better to eat more of these foods than just eat less overall. Other studies show that calorie restriction, or not eating too much, is probably good for your health. One from the National Institutes of Health and One from Columbia University.
Naturally, science is a continuous process of exploration and testing. Another recent study Vegans, vegetarians and pescatarians have argued that they are faring far better than omnivores against COVID-19, and this is already accepted. sharp rebuttal.
But the latest findings are good news for those who like thin-crust pizzas with a whole grain base, a little cheese and plenty of fresh ingredients. Not very suitable for people who want a huge deep dish pizza covered in processed meat. As always, common sense still helps. A slice of pizza may be better for you than a cheeseburger, but a healthy salad is probably even better.