Update from the Adventist Health Study-2: Older Adults
photo from Freepik
by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
According to the 2020 census, 1 in 6 people in the United States was 65 years old or older (1). Between 2022 and 2040 the number of people in the United States who are age 85 and older is projected to more than double (2). Are there factors that can improve the health and quality of life of older Americans? A recent report, using data from the Adventist Health Study-2, suggests that vegetarian including vegan diets are associated with better health in the oldest old (3).
What is the study?
This study used data from a subset of more than 7,000 participants in the Adventist Health Study-2 who were age 80 or older at the start of the study. The average age of participants in this subset was 84.9 years. The Adventist Health Study-2 is a large-scale study of Seventh-day Adventists living in the United States and Canada. Study subjects completed questionnaires in 2002 about their food choices and their health. This information was evaluated for this study.
The researchers used the participants’ dietary information to categorize participants as vegans (consumed any animal product less than once a month), lacto-ovo vegetarians (no flesh foods; consumed dairy and/or eggs once a month or more), pesco-vegetarians (similar to lacto-ovo vegetarians but ate fish once a month or more), semi-vegetarians (ate flesh foods less than once a week but at least once a month), and nonvegetarians.
What did this study find?
About 8% of women and 7.5% of men were categorized as vegan; 28.5% of women and 30.4% of men were categorized as lacto-ovo vegetarian. The vegans had the lowest average body mass index (BMI) and fewer vegans were categorized as overweight or obese compared to other study participants. Nonvegetarians were more likely to report having hypertension and vegans were least likely to report having hypertension. Vegans, lacto-ovo vegetarians, and pesco-vegetarians were less likely to report having high blood cholesterol levels compared to semi-vegetarians and nonvegetarian. Vegans were least likely to have high blood cholesterol levels. Taken together, these results suggest that older vegetarians including vegans have fewer risk factors for heart disease than do nonvegetarians.
Additionally, about one-third of vegans described their health as “excellent,” more than any other group. Less than 20% of nonvegetarians described their health as “excellent.” More nonvegetarians than any other group described their health as “poor” (20% of nonvegetarians compared to 11.4% of vegans).
Overall, these results in a group who generally avoid smoking and alcohol, support the importance of following a vegan or near vegan diet for successful aging.
References
- United States Census Bureau. U.S. Older Population Grew From 2010 to 2020 at Fastest Rate Since 1880 to 1890. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/2020-census-united-states-older-population-grew.html. 2023.
- The Administration for Community Living. 2023 Profile of Older Americans. https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/Profile%20of%20OA/ACL_ProfileOlderAmericans2023_508.pdf. 2024.
- Santos HD, Alabadi-Bierman A, Paalani M, et al. Living longer and lifestyle: A report on the oldest of the old in the Adventist Health Study-2. JAR Life. 2025;14:100010.
To read more about vegan diets for older adults see:
A Senior’s Guide to Good Nutrition
A Vegan Diet Effectively Supports Muscle Development in Older Adults
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