Nutrients and Aging: How Your Diet Impacts Your Biological Clock
Aging is an inevitable part of life, but the rate at which we age can be influenced by our diet. Researchers have discovered that certain nutrients can either accelerate or decelerate the aging process at the cellular level. Using the PhenoAge epigenetic clock, which measures biological age based on DNA methylation patterns, they identified specific nutrients associated with age acceleration and deceleration in a study involving nearly 4,000 postmenopausal women.
The study revealed that higher intakes of coumestrol (found in legumes), beta-carotene (in carrots and sweet potatoes), and arachidic acid (in peanut oil) were linked to slower biological aging. Conversely, consuming more added sugars, gondoic acid (in some oils), and behenic acid (in peanuts) sped up the aging process. These findings highlight the significant role that diet plays in our aging trajectory and suggest potential dietary adjustments to promote healthier aging.
Understanding the impact of these nutrients on the epigenetic clock opens up exciting possibilities for personalized nutrition strategies. By focusing on foods that support slower biological aging, individuals can potentially reduce the risk of age-related diseases and improve overall health outcomes as they ag
Article Information
Discovering the direct relations between nutrients and epigenetic ageing
Published in J Nutr Health Aging. Pol Grootswagers et al.
Abstract
Background: Along with the ageing of society, the absolute prevalence of age-related diseases is expected to rise, leading to a substantial burden on healthcare systems and society. Thus, there is an urgent need to promote healthy ageing. As opposed to chronological age, biological age was introduced to accurately represent the ageing process, as it considers physiological deterioration that is linked to morbidity and mortality risk. Furthermore, biological age responds to various factors, including nutritional factors, which have the potential to mitigate the risk of age-related diseases. As a result, a promising biomarker of biological age known as the epigenetic clock has emerged as a suitable measure to investigate the direct relations between nutritional factors and ageing, thereby identifying potential intervention targets to improve healthy ageing.
Methods: In this study, we analysed data from 3,969 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative to identify nutrients that are associated with the rate of ageing by using an accurate measure of biological age called the PhenoAge epigenetic clock. We used Copula Graphical Models, a data-driven exploratory analysis tool, to identify direct relationships between nutrient intake and age-acceleration, while correcting for every variable in the dataset.
Results: We revealed that increased dietary intakes of coumestrol, beta-carotene and arachidic acid were associated with decelerated epigenetic ageing. In contrast, increased intakes of added sugar, gondoic acid, behenic acid, arachidonic acid, vitamin A and ash were associated with accelerated epigenetic ageing in postmenopausal women.
Conclusion: Our study discovered direct relations between nutrients and epigenetic ageing, revealing promising areas for follow-up studies to determine the magnitude and causality of our estimated diet-epigenetic relationships.
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