Summary: Diets high in processed meat, fast food, and sugary drinks accelerate biological aging, even in young adults. Researchers measured biological age using epigenetic clocks, which track gene regulation changes over time. Participants with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables showed slower aging, suggesting dietary choices influence how quickly the body ages.
The study also examined genetic factors, finding that shared genetics, rather than childhood environment, played a key role in the diet-aging relationship. While other lifestyle factors like exercise and smoking also contributed, diet remained an independent predictor of aging speed.
Key facts
- Diet and Aging: High intake of processed meat, fast food, and sugary drinks is linked to accelerated biological aging.
- Epigenetic Clocks: Biological aging was assessed using computational models based on gene regulation.
- Genetic Influence: Shared genetics, rather than childhood environment, influenced diet’s impact on aging.
Source: University of Jyväskylä
Humans do not always age biologically at the same rate as their chronological age. Faster biological aging compared to chronological age has been linked to higher risks of disease and mortality.
According to a recent study, a diet low in vegetables and fruits and high in red meat, fast food, and sugar-sweetened soft drinks was associated with accelerated biological aging even in young adulthood.
The rate of biological aging indicates the discrepancy between chronological age and biological age, that is, whether a person is biologically older or younger than their chronological age.
Biological aging can be measured using epigenetic clocks. Epigenetic clocks are computational models developed through machine learning methods that predict biological age based on methyl groups that regulate the expression of genes.
A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä and the Gerontology Research Center investigated whether diet predicts the rate of biological aging in young adulthood. The study participants were twins between the ages of 20 and 25.
According to the results, diets characterized by low intake of vegetables and fruits and high consumption of red and processed meat, fast food, and sugar-sweetened soft drinks were associated with faster biological aging.
Conversely, diets rich in vegetables and fruits and low in meat, fast food, and sugary soft drinks were associated with slower biological aging.
‘Some of the observed associations may also be explained by other lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, smoking, and body weight, as healthy and unhealthy lifestyle habits tend to cluster in the same individuals,’ says postdoctoral researcher Suvi Ravi.
‘However, diet maintained a small independent association with aging even when we accounted for other lifestyle factors.’
Since the study participants were twins, the research was able to investigate the genetic influence on the relationship between diet and biological age.
The results suggest that a shared genetic background, but not the shared childhood environment of the twins, explains the relationship between diet and aging in young adulthood.
‘However, this does not mean that a health-promoting diet would not benefit everyone,’ emphasizes Ravi.
The study is a part of the research project ‘The role of nutrition in the prevention of common diseases’, which is funded by the Juho Vainio Foundation.
This sub-study utilized data from the FinnTwin12 study. A total of 826 individual twins and 363 twin pairs participated in the study. Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, where participants reported the typical consumption frequency of 55 food items.
The principal investigator of this study, Suvi Ravi, is a member of the GenActive research group. The GenActive group investigates genetic and lifestyle factors that predict biological aging, health, and functional capacity.
The group is led by Elina Sillanpää, Associate Professor of Health Promotion.
About this diet and aging research news
Author: Katri Lehtovaara
Source: University of Jyväskylä
Contact: Katri Lehtovaara – University of Jyväskylä
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Suboptimal dietary patterns are associated with accelerated biological aging in young adulthood: a study with twins” by Suvi Ravi et al. Clinical Nutrition
Abstract
Suboptimal dietary patterns are associated with accelerated biological aging in young adulthood: a study with twins
Background & aims
Suboptimal diets increase morbidity and mortality risk. Epigenetic clocks are algorithms that can assess health and lifespan, even at a young age, before clinical manifestations of diseases. We investigated the association between dietary patterns and biological aging in young adult twins.
Methods
The data were drawn from the population-based FinnTwin12 study and consisted of twins aged 21–25 years (n = 826). Food and beverage intakes were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Biological aging was estimated using the epigenetic clocks GrimAge and DunedinPACE. Latent class analysis was used to identify dietary patterns.
The association between dietary patterns and biological aging was assessed using linear regression modeling at the individual level, followed by within–twin pair analyses to account for genetic liabilities and shared familial confounders.
Results
Six dietary patterns were identified: 1) High fast food, low fruits and vegetables (F&V), 2) Plant-based, 3) Health-conscious, 4) Western with infrequent fish, 5) Western with regular fish, and 6) Balanced average.
At the individual level, GrimAge acceleration was slower in the Plant-based, Health-conscious, and Balanced-average patterns compared to the High fast food, low F&V, and faster in the Western with infrequent fish pattern compared to the Balanced average, regardless of sex, nonalcoholic energy intake, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
After further adjustment for BMI and sports participation, the strengths of the associations modestly decreased; however, the difference between the Balanced-average and High fast food, low F&V patterns remained significant.
The pace of aging (DunedinPACE) was slower in the Plant-based pattern compared to the High fast food, low F&V and the Western with infrequent fish patterns after adjustment for sex, nonalcoholic energy intake, smoking, and alcohol.
The effect sizes were attenuated and reached a non-significant level when BMI and sports participation were added to the model. Most of the associations were replicated in the within-pair analyses among all twin pairs and among dizygotic twin pairs, but the effect sizes tended to be smaller among monozygotic twin pairs.
This suggests that genetics, but not a shared environment, may partially explain the observed associations between diet and biological aging.
Conclusion
Diets high in fast food, processed red meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages and low in fruits and vegetables are associated with accelerated biological aging in young adulthood. The clustering effect of lifestyle factors and genetic confounders should be considered when interpreting the findings.
