Associations Between Diet Quality, Epigenetic Aging And Epigenome In Two Population-Based Cohorts
Ever wondered how your diet truly impacts your aging process? New research sheds light on the intricate connection between what you eat and your biological age, which is how old your body seems at a cellular level, rather than just the number of years you’ve lived. This study explored how different healthy eating patterns relate to “epigenetic aging,” a measure of biological age based on changes to your DNA.
The researchers looked at ten different diet quality scores and their associations with markers of biological aging and DNA methylation profiles. DNA methylation is a process where chemical tags are added to your DNA, which can turn genes on or off without changing the underlying genetic code. These changes are part of the “epigenome,” a layer of instructions that sits on top of your DNA and can be influenced by lifestyle factors like diet.
Using data from two large groups of people, the study found that consistently following healthier diets was linked to slower epigenetic aging. Interestingly, this effect was even more noticeable in current smokers, suggesting that a good diet might help counteract some of the negative impacts of other lifestyle choices on aging.
While different healthy diets led to unique patterns of DNA methylation, the study revealed that these distinct patterns largely converged on similar biological pathways. These pathways are crucial for fundamental cellular processes like cell structure, signaling, and metabolism, all of which play a significant role in how we age and develop chronic diseases. This suggests that regardless of the specific healthy diet you choose, you might be promoting health through similar underlying biological mechanisms.
Source: link to paper