Diet and nutrition Archive

Certain food pairings work synergistically, enabling the body to absorb nutrients more efficiently than if either food were eaten alone. Other combinations keep people full longer. Examples of synergistic combinations include beans and brown rice, spinach and citrus, cereal and milk, tomatoes and olive oil, apples and peanut butter, and turmeric and black pepper. But people absorb nutrients differently, meaning there's no guarantee someone will extract as many nutrients from a certain combination of foods as another person does.

Updated guidelines say adults don't need routine testing of vitamin D levels. However, they should aim for daily vitamin D intake of 600 international units (IU) until age 70, and 800 IU after that either through vitamin D-fortified foods or a supplement of up to 1,000 IU.

Eating a plant-based diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables has been shown to help lower high blood pressure. A 2024 study has found that these foods may also protect against worsening of chronic kidney disease in people with high blood pressure.

People sometimes wonder if the calcium they consume affects their calcium score, a test that measures calcium in the heart's arteries to predict heart disease risk. But a 2024 study linked higher calcium intake to a lower risk of heart calcifications. Calcium helps lower blood pressure, possibly by improving the function of the lining of blood vessels. Older adults should make sure they're getting the recommended amount of calcium in their diets. Good sources include dairy products, tofu made with calcium sulfate, almond or oat milk, canned sardines or salmon, collard greens, and kale.

A 2024 report suggests that rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and colon cancer would fall substantially if people ate less red and processed meat.

Older adults who consume ultra-processed foods as a substantial part of their diet have a higher risk of early death than those who eat less of these foods.

Intermittent fasting is a weight-loss approach that involves not eating for a designated amount of time over the course of the day. One popular approach is called 16/8. Here, people eat during an eight-hour period followed by 16 hours of fasting. Intermittent fasting is often used to help with weight loss by placing the body in short-term ketosis, where the body burns fat for energy. While the supporting research is mixed, there's not much downside to trying intermittent fasting, and it also may help people manage their eating habits.