A study by DZNE finds that healthy eating is associated with slower biological aging—and that there is more than one way to eat healthily. The researchers examined 10 dietary patterns considered healthy, including the Mediterranean, Nordic, and a plant-based diet, as well as the DASH diet, which is designed to help lower blood pressure. All were linked with slower biological aging, with age-related changes in the DNA serving as markers.
These results, based on data from DZNE's Rhineland Study and confirmed with data from an independent study, are published in the journal Nature Communications.
"Our study suggests that healthy eating goes hand in hand with slower biological aging. The effects are not massive, but they are measurable and relevant for prevention. By slowing the aging process, the risk of age-related diseases such as dementia or cardiovascular disorders can be reduced. Thus, healthy eating contributes to healthy aging," says Monique Breteler, director of Population Health Sciences at DZNE and head of the Rhineland Study.
"Importantly, there is probably no single 'correct' diet. According to our data, various dietary patterns are associated with slower aging, some more, some less. That is an encouraging finding because it leaves room to tailor healthy eating to personal and cultural preferences, budget and taste."
Molecular aging measures
For their analysis, the researchers evaluated blood samples and dietary habits from about 7,500 women and men. This included 6,470 participants in DZNE's Rhineland Study in Bonn—where the findings were initially made—and 1,034 participants in the EPIC-Potsdam Study of the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE), where the key results were independently confirmed.
From blood, the team determined chemical modifications in the DNA, known as "DNA methylation patterns," which influence gene activity and thus biological mechanisms. Since these molecular markers change systematically over the course of life, they are considered indicators of biological aging.
"We applied three different approaches, so-called epigenetic clocks, to read biological aging from DNA methylation," explains Juliana Tavares, a doctoral researcher at DZNE and lead author of the current publication. "To this end, we leveraged state-of-the-art technology, which allowed us to cover about 850,000 sites in the DNA. This is roughly twice as many as in most previous studies."
