10 Systems Recommended by Science to Slow Aging

(Nature Communications) Highlights 10 dietary patterns associated with slowed biological aging in individuals who adhered to them.

Biological aging refers to the rate at which bodily functions decline, and it does not necessarily correspond to chronological age.

In this study, researchers led by a team from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) analyzed data from 6,470 participants aged 30 and older, comparing their adherence to 10 different dietary patterns with blood biomarkers that reflect biological age. Overall, the findings showed that following healthy dietary patterns—among those included in the study—is associated with slowed biological aging.

Monique Breteler, an epidemiologist at the DZNE, stated, “The effects may not be enormous, but they are measurable and significant for prevention. By slowing the aging process, the risk of age-related diseases such as dementia or cardiovascular diseases can be reduced.”

The study also included the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010), the Plant-Based Diet Index (PDI), the Healthy Plant-Based Diet Index (hPDI), and the EAT-Lancet dietary pattern. The latter two patterns, the Unhealthy Plant-Based Diet Index (uPDI) and the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), actually measure unhealthy eating patterns (such as sugary drinks and sweets). Lower scores on these two indices—indicating less adherence—were associated with slowed aging.

Regarding the aging biomarkers, the researchers focused on DNA methylation patterns, which are changes in chemical markers known to vary with biological aging.

Juliana Tavarès, an epidemiologist at the German DZNE, said, “Three different approaches, known as epigenetic clocks, were used to read biological age through DNA methylation.”

She added, “To achieve this, the latest technologies were employed, enabling the examination of approximately 850,000 sites in the DNA, a number roughly double that examined in most previous studies.”

Notably, almost no participants achieved high healthy scores across all dietary guidelines; it appears that adherence to just one of these patterns is sufficient to reduce the risk of biological age exceeding chronological age.

Although there are some differences regarding the impact of each dietary pattern on specific aspects of biological aging—such as the DASH diet’s effect on heart health and the MIND diet’s effect on cognition and memory—there is considerable overlap among them.

Tavarès explained, “More than 70 percent of the biological pathways affected were shared across all dietary patterns; these pathways include cellular structure, cell signaling, and metabolism, which are fundamental processes in aging and chronic diseases.”

Tavarès concluded, “Perhaps the most practical message is that individuals do not need to follow a perfect diet. However, the pathways associated with specific dietary patterns open the door for future research on targeted dietary interventions, which could help design more tailored health recommendations.”