Abstract
Background: Ayurveda has given utmost importance to diet, dietary pattern and dietary rules. Diet is considered as the originating factors for Sharira (body) as well as the disease. In the present hasty era of stress and hasty life style, dietary factors are being overruled and quality of diet has been deteriorated. Owing to this, silent diseases like premature ageing are high on rise.
Objectives: The present cross sectional survey study was planned to evaluate the relation between diet, dietary habits and pathology of premature ageing.
Methods : Total 108 patients of premature ageing fulfilling the criteria of inclusion as per ageing scale were selected from O.P.D. of department of Panchakarma and Manasa Roga, Institute for Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar.
Study Design: The method of survey was by a questionnaire about the points regarding the dietary causative factors.
Results: Amla rasa(sour) was found dominant in diet of majority i.e. 94.44% patients followed by 90.74% liking Lavana (salty). In faulty dietary habits, maximum 96.29 % patients were habituated to Vishamashana and 48.14% to Adhyashana. Overall it was observed that the diet was prone to vitiate Vata and Pitta dosha in 99.07% patients each.
Conclusion: The faulty dietary habits like Vishamashana, Adhyashana, Ajeernashana, Amla-Lavana Rasa atisevana can hasten the process of ageing at micro as well as macro cellular level resulting into premature ageing. Therefore it is important to follow the good dietary pattern prescribed in Ayurvedic classics so as to live young for a long time with healthy ageing and happy life.

Key words: Ahara (diet), Akala jara, Vishamashana, Adhyashana, premature ageing.