Going Plant-Based Can Add Years To Your Life, No Matter What Age

You could live up to a decade longer by eating plant-based, according to a new study from the University of Bergen in Norway.

The research team found that people of any age can add years to their life expectancy by switching from a typical Western diet to a more plant-based regimen, and the sooner you start, the more years you can add to your life. The study showed that longer life expectancy correlated with eating more legumes, whole grains, and nuts, and eating less red meat and less processed meat. Even people in their 60s saw an increase of an average of 8 additional years by making the switch from a modern Western diet to the more-plant based diet.

For more, read the summary here, and the full study here.

Kristen Weiss is a PhD scientist and long time vegan with a background in ecology, natural resources, and socially-conscious conservation. She has been a science communicator with Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions and the NSF-funded Long Term Ecological Research Network, and continues to work at the intersection between science, society, wellness, environment, and ethics across a variety of media and platforms.

Supporting Our Work - We’re currently an all-volunteer organization and we see incredible room and need to grow over the coming year. We understand that this time has enormous challenges for everyone, so while we’ll be seeking support to help roll our vision forward, we’re also thinking creatively to keep our costs low to efficiently build resources and deliver programming at low to no cost to our community. If you’d like to support our work, we hope you’ll consider making a donation to one of our giving programs through our community partner, the Santa Barbara Foundation!