Researchers at University of California -San Francisco discovered that a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, especially low in added sugar, is linked to a younger biological age at the cellular level.
They studied how three healthy eating measures affected an “epigenetic clock” – a test estimating health and lifespan. The results showed that better diets made cells appear younger. However, even with healthy diets, each gram of added sugar consumed was linked to an increase in epigenetic age.
Dorothy Chiu, PhD, from UCSF, said, “The diets we studied match current health recommendations and show the benefits of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients. It’s encouraging to see that following these diets can help keep our cells younger.”
This study, published on July 29 in JAMA Network Open, is one of the first to show a link between added sugar and epigenetic aging and the first to study this in midlife Black and white women. Most previous studies focused on older white participants.
The research highlights how harmful sugar is to our health, said co-senior author Elissa Epel, PhD, a UCSF professor.
High added sugar levels harm metabolic health and cause early diseases. Now, researchers see that accelerated epigenetic aging is part of this problem, which limits healthy longevity.
The women in the study consumed an average of 61.5 grams of added sugar daily, ranging from 2.7 to 316 grams. For comparison, a milk chocolate bar has about 25 grams, and a 12-ounce cola has about 39 grams. The FDA recommends that adults consume no more than 50 grams of added sugar daily.
Researchers analyzed food records from 342 Black and white women from Northern California, averaging 39 years old. They compared their diets to epigenetic clock measures from saliva samples.
They scored the women’s diets against a Mediterranean diet rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant foods, a diet linked to lower chronic disease risk, and their own “Epigenetic Nutrient Index (ENI).” The ENI focuses on nutrients like Vitamins A, C, B12, E, folate, selenium, magnesium, dietary fiber, and isoflavones.
All three diets were linked to a lower epigenetic age, with the Mediterranean diet having the most vital link. They found that eating foods with added sugar accelerated biological aging, even with an otherwise healthy diet.
“Cutting 10 grams of added sugar daily might reverse biological aging by 2.4 months. Eating nutrient-rich, low-sugar foods can motivate healthier eating for longevity.
Journal reference:
- Dorothy T. Chiu, Elissa June Hamlat, et al., Essential Nutrients, Added Sugar Intake, and Epigenetic Age in Midlife Black and White Women. JAMA NETWORK OPEN. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.22749.