Eating Healthy? It Could Save You Big on Medical Bills!

While it’s generally understood that a healthy diet is good for the body, a new study published Monday indicated that healthy eating can also reduce medical costs by 8.6 percent.

Researchers from the Department of Family Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital examined the extent to which a well-balanced diet can decrease hospital visits and associated medical expenses. They analyzed participants’ annual medical spending, controlling for potentially confounding factors such as gender, income, and chronic diseases.

The eating habits of each participant were evaluated on a scale of zero to 100, with higher scores representing a more nutritionally balanced diet. Participants were then divided into four groups based on their scores.

Higher scores were given to those who consumed more white meat than red meat, opted for nutrient-rich brown rice instead of white rice, and ate sufficient vegetables and fruits. Lower intakes of sodium, alcohol, and carbonated soft drinks also contributed to higher scores.

The study found that the group with the healthiest diets spent, on average, about 8.6 percent less on total medical expenses compared to the group with the least healthy eating habits. They also spent 12.1 percent less on outpatient care and 8 percent less on inpatient care.

The research also revealed that dietary differences tended to have a greater impact on medical spending among younger individuals.

For this analysis, the researchers divided their subjects into two groups based on a median age of 57.

Younger people who maintained healthy eating habits spent 11.5 percent less than those who did not.

According to the researchers, the older group showed a weaker correlation between diet and medical spending. This was attributed to the cumulative effects of nutritional imbalances over a lifetime, as well as other health factors commonly associated with aging.