Less than 10 percent of over-70s are healthy

Fewer than one in 10 people reach their 70^th birthday fit and healthy, and free of disease.

More than 90 percent suffer from at least one chronic health problem or are already cognitively impaired, showing signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s.

A healthy diet is the one thing that separates the healthy agers from the vast majority, says a team of researchers from Canada, the US and Denmark—and by the time people reach the age of 75, the difference is even more marked.

Eating a diet that includes plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes was the one consistent hallmark of the health agers, the researchers found when they analysed the lifestyles and health of 105,000 people, who they tracked for more than 30 years.

They were checked for 11 chronic health issues—such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease—and for their mental acuity when they reached the age of 70 and again when they were 75.  By then, the healthy eaters were more than twice as likely to still be free of any chronic health problem.

Just 9,771 people in the group were free of disease by the time they reached 70, and they were all following a healthy diet.  The rest, who were suffering from at least one chronic health problem or were showing signs of mental decline, were mainly eating ultra processed foods.

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