Plant protein consumption could help in improving human lifespan, a recent research shows.

The study, led by researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute, found that older people who regularly consume diets loaded with plant protein live longer and lead healthier lives.

In the past couple of decades, food and health scientists have tried to better understand which food types are good for people and which are bad. In many of those instances, researchers came up with conflicting results.

In the recent study, scientists specifically looked at protein consumption. Protein is be found in pork, chicken, red meat, eggs, and seafood. It is also present in various types of plant food such as broccoli, peanuts, oats, tofu and chia seeds. The researchers wanted to know if the consumption of plant or animal-based​ protein had any effect on longevity.

To find out, the team looked at data from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, which had information about 500,000 people in the age group of 50 to 71 from several states and two major cities, Detroit and Atlanta. It also had their dietary information. This helped the researchers to calculate how much protein they were consuming and whether it was animal or plant-based.

They discovered that, regardless of their gender, those who ate more than just average amounts of plant-based protein experienced a 5% lower than average mortality rate. They also found that the more they consumed plant-based proteins, the longer they tend to live. The study also found that those who swapped 3% of animal-based protein in their regular diet for plant proteins experienced a 10% reduction in their mortality risk.

The team said going for plant-based protein foods minimized people's risk of cardiovascular diseases. Swapping even just 3% of such proteins leads to a 12% reduction in deaths resulting from cardiovascular diseases in women and 11% in men.

The research paper was published in JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday, July 13.

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