Everybody loves validation. I don’t know anyone who enjoys it more than I do.
 
It seems just about every month I read a scientific article that validates something I presented in The Power of 5. In July, there was an article in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society about older adults and the development of frailty.
 
According to the National institute of health, “frailty is a clinically recognizable state of increased vulnerability resulting from aging-associated decline in reserve and function across multiple physiologic systems such that the ability to cope with everyday or acute stressors is compromised.”
 
Let’s face it: whether we are young or old, we are all aging and it is a great idea to plan for the future and make adjustments when we can.
 
In the study mentioned above, researchers followed 2,154 older American adults for four years. The evaluations considered diet intake, particularly the intake of vegetables, and the progression of becoming frail.
 
People with poor-quality diets were almost twice as likely as those with high-quality diets to become frail. In addition, people who consumed medium-quality diets were at 40% higher risk of frailty.
 
According to the lead author of this study, Linda Milou Hengeveld from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, “a good quality diet may reduce the risk of frailty.”
 
My interpretation is that the better you eat, especially more vegetables, the slower you may age.
 
In my studies of diet and lifestyle over the past several years, it has become clear that Mediterranean diets, or plant-based diets high or exclusive in whole grains (Vegan) have the highest potential to lead to the best outcomes of promoting longevity and better health span.
 
This article is just one of many that supports this view.
 
Stay tuned for more scientifically-based blogs validating the recommendations found in my Power of 5 formula.
 
To a long and healthy life,
 
David Bernstein, MD