A New Study Suggests This 1 Type Of Carb Could Actually Help Your Longevity

Good news for anyone who's been avoiding carbohydrates altogether.

Carbohydrates have long been seen as the villain — the macronutrient worth fearing and restricting — while another reigns supreme as the “healthier” option in the given cultural moment. Today, that’d be protein.

This perspective and the resulting constraints don’t come without problems. “If we are just focusing on one specific [nutrient] without looking at the bigger picture, then we will end up having some blind spots,” said Abby Chan, an anti-diet registered dietitian. “If we’re only focusing on protein, unless it’s plant-based, we’re going to be limiting the overall diet quality and variety that we’re taking in.”

It’s time to reframe. Carbohydrates are essential to your body’s proper functioning, as they’re broken down into glucose, the primary energy source for your cells, tissues, brain, muscles and other organs. And new research shows that certain types of carbs may be linked with healthy aging.

The investigation, published in JAMA Network Open, looked at the midlife diets of more than 47,500 women in the 1980s, as well as their health outcomes roughly 30 years later, using data from Nurses’ Health Study questionnaires. Of the studied population, 7.8% met the definition of “healthy aging.” These women lived to age 70 and were free from 11 major chronic diseases, had no memory or physical function impairments, and had good mental health.

Carbohydrates were one of the most influential factors. Consuming more total carbohydrates and more “high-quality” carbs (from foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes) during midlife was positively linked with healthy aging. On the flip side, consuming more “refined” carbs (from added sugars, refined grains like white flour, etc.) was linked with lower odds of healthy aging.