Cutting Added Sugar and Processed Meats Could Extend Lifespan by a Decade (2024)

• Research suggests that cutting out processed meats and added sugars from your diet—and focusing on whole grains, nuts, and fruits—can add a decade to your life.
• Experts call out a reduction in inflammation as one of the main reasons you gain longevity.

Research on the health risks of processed meats and added sugars isn’t new. For example, the World Health Organization has long connected regular consumption of processed meats with colorectal cancer, and research links higher sugar intake with cardiovascular disease risk. But it’s less common to see predictions about exactly how much longer you could live if you cut these out of your diet.

New research in the journal Nature takes a shot at it: This study suggests you may be able to add up to an entire decade to your life by making strategic food choices now.

To come to this conclusion, researchers looked at food choices for about 460,000 people in a large-scale study called UK Biobank, which collects and analyzes a range of lifestyle behaviors and health markers.

They found that when people in their 40s made a shift from unhealthy dietary patterns that included processed meats and sugary foods toward better choices—particularly more whole grains, nuts, and fruits—they gained about three years in life expectancy almost immediately. When those dietary changes were sustained over three years or more, that longevity boost went up to 10 years.

Even those in their 70s saw an improvement of three to four years in life expectancy when making a change from an unhealthy diet.

Other dietary shifts like adding more vegetables and focusing on white meat instead of red meat showed some effect for this, but the biggest gains were tied to processed meats and added sugars, according to lead author Lars Fadnes, Ph.D., researcher in the department of global public health and primary care at the University of Bergen in Norway.

“Unsurprisingly, predicted gains in life expectancy are lower when the dietary change is initiated at older ages, but those gains still remain substantial,” he told Bicycling. “Also, keep in mind that the years you add may be healthier due to better food choices, so not only are you living longer, but you could be improving quality of life.”

Because of this, the researchers are hoping public health efforts and policymakers will make an effort to emphasize reduce consumption of processed meats and added sugars, along with more whole grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables.

The reason why longevity might be extended with this approach isn’t surprising, according to William Li, M.D., Boston-based physician and author of Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. Both processed meats and added sugar—as opposed to the type that occurs naturally in fruit and dairy—have both been linked to higher levels of inflammation in the body, he told Bicycling. That’s not an issue if you eat these foods occasionally, but when they’re consumed regularly, that keeps inflammation elevated, sometimes at a chronic level.

“Inflammation has been tied to a number of health risks, from cardiovascular problems to brain function, so lifestyle behaviors that keep it in check are very important for overall health and longevity,” he said. “That includes regular exercise, sleeping well, and not smoking, and also on that list is avoiding these type of foods, especially when you can replace them with better options.”