As we age, we often become more conscious of our health and the choices we make in our daily lives. We’re told to watch our diet, exercise regularly, and avoid certain habits that can lead to a decline in our well-being.
But did you know that every bite we take and every sip we drink could be adding—or subtracting—precious minutes from our lives. While we often think of indulgent treats as harmless pleasures, a new study suggests that some popular food and drink choices, like soft drinks, may be quietly cutting our lifespan shorter than we realise.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have conducted a study that might make you evaluate your eating and drinking habits.
Their findings suggest that each serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage could shorten your life by a startling 12 minutes. This revelation is part of a broader analysis of how ultra-processed foods impact our longevity.
The study, which assessed a staggering 5,800 foods, created a Health Nutritional Index to rank these items based on their effects on life expectancy. The researchers considered various factors, including additives, fats, calories, and sugar content, to determine the health impact of one gram of each food. They then adjusted this to a standard serving size to provide a clearer picture of the consequences of our dietary choices.
It’s not just sweetened beverages that are the culprits here. The research highlighted other ultra-processed foods that are shaving minutes off our lives. For instance, consuming a hot dog could cost a person 36 minutes of ‘healthy’ life due to its preservatives and nitrates, which have been linked to certain cancers.
Other foods like bacon, double cheeseburgers, chicken wings, and cured meats like prosciutto also made the list, with each item deducting precious time from our lifespan, ranging from six minutes to 24 minutes.
Meanwhile, a serving of cheese, a staple in many diets, is said to shave off a minute of a healthy lifespan.
It’s a sobering thought that the foods we often turn to for comfort or convenience could be doing us more harm than good.
But before you despair, there’s a silver lining. The same study that delivered this alarming news also provided a beacon of hope. It turns out that making healthier food choices can extend a person’s lifespan.
A banana, for instance, can contribute 13 and a half minutes to life, while a portion of baked salmon adds another 16 minutes. And let’s not forget about nuts—30 grams of these can extend your life by a whopping 26 minutes.
The researchers suggest that by swapping just 10 per cent of daily calories from beef and processed meats for fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts, a person could potentially add an estimated 48 minutes to their life.
It’s a compelling argument for making small, targeted substitutions in our diet to achieve significant health benefits.
Dr Olivier Jolliet, the lead researcher behind the study, emphasises the ‘urgency of dietary changes to improve human health.’ He advocates for feasible and powerful strategies that don’t necessarily require dramatic dietary shifts but can still yield substantial health and environmental benefits.
So, the next time you’re about to indulge in a fizzy drink or a processed snack, remember that these small decisions could be subtracting minutes from your life. Instead, why not reach for a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts? Your body—and your future self—will thank you for it.
We’d love to hear from you, our readers. Have you made any changes to your diet that have positively impacted your health? What are your thoughts on the findings of this study? Share your experiences and insights with the YourLifeChoices community in the comments below.
Also read: Too few carbs may lead to an earlier death, study suggests
