Sometimes there's nothing better than cracking open a cold soda, especially on a hot day, but a study focusing on the impacts of individual health choices might make you think twice the next time you're craving something fizzy.
The study, conducted by researchers Katerina Stylianou and Olivier Jolliet, analyzed a variety of individual foods based on their composition to help calculate the net benefits or impacts that come with consuming it.
Through their findings, the researchers developed a 'Health Nutritional Index', which breaks down exactly how many minutes of life might be lost or gained per serving of each food.
In an article for The Conversation, Stylianou and Jolliet explain that the index is based on a large epidemiological study called the Global Burden of Disease, which determines the risks and benefits linked to multiple environmental, metabolic and behavioral factors, including 15 dietary risk factors.
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The researchers took that data and adapted it down to the level of individual foods, while also taking into account more than 6,000 risk estimates specific to each age, gender, disease and risk.
What food can add minutes to your life?
While keeping in mind that everything you eat should be done in moderation, the findings revealed that some of the best foods to help increase your life span include nuts and seeds, with a serving size of 30 grams of nuts and seeds resulting in a gain of 25 minutes of healthy life.
What food and drinks can shorten your life?
In comparison, one serving of soda such as cola can shorten your healthy life by as much as 12 minutes - and let's be honest, it's always tempting to crack open another once that first can is drained.
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Other foods that can have a negative impact on life span include processed meat like hot dogs, which can cost an individual a whopping 36 minutes of healthy life - aka, good-quality and disease-free life expectancy.
What changes can you make to help improve your healthy life span?
It can be hard to change your whole diet overnight, but the study found that switching out just 10 percent of your daily caloric intake of beef and processed meats for a mix of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and even some seafood could, on average, add 48 healthy minutes of life per day.
What have experts said about the findings?
Having revealed the results, Jolliet noted the urgency of dietary changes to improve human health, as well as having a positive impact on the environment, is 'clear'.
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Per the University of Michigan, Jolliet added: "Our findings demonstrate that small targeted substitutions offer a feasible and powerful strategy to achieve significant health and environmental benefits without requiring dramatic dietary shifts."
Topics: Food and Drink, Health, Science, Environment
Emily Brown