Aging leads to changes in body composition, and maintaining a healthy diet can help preserve muscle mass while preventing fat accumulation in middle-aged adults.
The study analyzed data from 3,017 participants over 25 years to assess the relationship between diet quality, measured by the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI2015), and various body composition metrics, including muscle mass and fat distribution.
Results showed that higher HEI2015 scores were linked to lower weight gain, reduced changes in BMI and waist circumference, and lower levels of visceral and intermuscular fat over the study period.