New Research Links Healthy Diet to Younger Biological Age
A new study from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) suggests that following a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, while limiting added sugar, may help keep your cells biologically younger. The research, published in JAMA Network Open, examined how different healthy eating patterns affect an “epigenetic clock” – a biochemical test that estimates health and lifespan.
The study found that people who ate better had cells that appeared younger. Surprisingly, even when participants followed healthy diets, each gram of added sugar they consumed was linked to an increase in their epigenetic age.
Dorothy Chiu, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health and lead author of the study, explained, “The diets we examined align with existing recommendations for preventing disease and promoting health, and they highlight the potency of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients in particular.”
This research is one of the first to show a connection between added sugar and epigenetic aging. It’s also the first to study this link in a diverse group of middle-aged women, including both Black and white participants.
The Sugar-Aging Connection: What It Means for Your Health
The study analyzed food records from 342 women in Northern California, with an average age of 39. Researchers compared their diets to epigenetic clock measures taken from saliva samples. They scored the diets based on how closely they matched a Mediterranean-style eating pattern, a diet linked to lower chronic disease risk, and a new measure called the “Epigenetic Nutrient Index” (ENI).
The ENI focuses on nutrients known to support antioxidative and anti-inflammatory processes, as well as DNA maintenance and repair. These include vitamins A, C, B12, and E, folate, selenium, magnesium, dietary fiber, and isoflavones.
All three dietary patterns were associated with lower epigenetic age, with the Mediterranean diet showing the strongest link. However, the researchers found that consuming foods with added sugar was tied to accelerated biological aging, even when the overall diet was healthy.
Co-senior author Barbara Laraia, PhD, RD, a UC Berkeley professor, noted, “Given that epigenetic patterns appear to be reversible, it may be that eliminating 10 grams of added sugar per day is akin to turning back the biological clock by 2.4 months, if sustained over time.”
Why it matters: This research provides new evidence for the importance of limiting added sugar in our diets, even when we’re eating healthily overall. It suggests that making small changes to reduce sugar intake could have significant impacts on cellular aging and long-term health.
The average woman in the study consumed 61.5 grams of added sugar daily, though this ranged widely from 2.7 to 316 grams per day. For context, a bar of milk chocolate contains about 25 grams of added sugar, while a 12-ounce can of cola has around 39 grams. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends adults consume no more than 50 grams of added sugar per day.
Elissa Epel, PhD, a UCSF professor and co-senior author of the study, emphasized the significance of these findings: “We knew that high levels of added sugars are linked to worsened metabolic health and early disease, possibly more than any other dietary factor. Now we know that accelerated epigenetic aging is underlying this relationship, and this is likely one of many ways that excessive sugar intake limits healthy longevity.”
As researchers continue to explore the connections between diet, cellular aging, and overall health, this study provides valuable insights for individuals looking to optimize their nutrition for longevity. By focusing on nutrient-dense foods and minimizing added sugar, we may be able to influence our biological age at the cellular level.
