The surprise food that’s super effective at stopping women from developing chronic disease

Food really is medicine, at least according to new research.

A study, published this week by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that consuming protein — especially plant-based protein — seemed to drastically lower the odds of developing chronic illness for women as they age.

“Consuming protein in midlife was linked to promoting good health in older adulthood,” study author and scientist Andres Ardisson Korat said in a statement.

“We also found that the source of protein matters. Getting the majority of your protein from plant sources at midlife, plus a small amount of animal protein seems to be conducive to good health and good survival to older ages.”

Analyzing self-reported data from over 48,000 women, the Tufts University researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging found that participants who ate more protein from fruits, vegetables, legumes and beans were less likely to develop ailments like diabetes, cancer, or heart disease.

According to the report, plant-based proteins reigned supreme over dairy or animal proteins; those who consumed more plant proteins had lower “bad” cholesterol (or LDL cholesterol), blood pressure and insulin sensitivity, while animal protein was linked to higher levels.

The long-term study followed female healthcare professionals from 1984 to 2016. At the outset of the study, all women were between the ages of 38 and 59 and deemed to be in good physical and mental health.

Those who focused on eating plant-based proteins were 46 percent more likely to be healthy into their later years, the researchers found.

Popular sources of plant-based protein include lentils, beans, peas, spinach, and broccoli.

Meanwhile, those who consumed more animal protein such as beef, chicken, milk, fish/seafood, and cheese, however, were 6 percent less likely to stay healthy as they aged.

“Those who consumed greater amounts of animal protein tended to have more chronic disease and didn’t manage to obtain the improved physical function that we normally associate with eating protein,” said Korat.

The study’s participants were overwhelmingly white, with Korat saying further research regarding other racial demographics needs to be done to see if plant-based protein is as effective for all women.

“The data from the study tended to be very homogeneous in terms of demographic and socioeconomic composition, so it will be valuable to follow up with a study in cohorts that are more diverse. It’s a field that is still evolving,” he said.

However, given the surprisingly effective results of this research, it can’t hurt to add some additional plant-based protein — such as a cup of beans or some extra spinach — into your daily diet.

“Dietary protein intake, especially plant protein, in midlife plays an important role in the promotion of healthy aging and in maintaining positive health status at older ages,” Korat said.