Scientists Tracked 100k People — These 5 Longevity Diets All Share One Key Nutrient
Key takeaways
- Author: Ava Durgin May 09, 2026Assistant Health Editor By Ava Durgin Assistant Health Editor Ava Durgin is the former Assistant Health Editor at mindbodygreen.
- They focused in on 5 of the top diets to improve longevity by up to 4 years, and found that all five pointed to the same nutritional principles.
- To understand why this study stands out, it helps to know how it was designed.
Why this matters: practical guidance grounded in recent research or expert insight.
Author: Ava Durgin May 09, 2026Assistant Health Editor By Ava Durgin Assistant Health Editor Ava Durgin is the former Assistant Health Editor at mindbodygreen. She holds a B.A. in Global Health and Psychology from Duke University.Image by BONNINSTUDIO / Stocksy May 09, 2026Most longevity research focuses on a single food or nutrient. But a new study1 published in Science Advances took a different approach entirely, examining entire patterns of eating across more than 100,000 people tracked for over a decade.
They focused in on 5 of the top diets to improve longevity by up to 4 years, and found that all five pointed to the same nutritional principles. Perhaps most compellingly, the benefits held up regardless of genetics.
To understand why this study stands out, it helps to know how it was designed.