German study links healthy diets to slower biological aging

A study conducted by the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) suggests that healthy dietary patterns are associated with slower biological aging. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the research analyzed approximately 7,500 participants from the Rhineland Study and the EPIC-Potsdam study.

Researchers evaluated how closely participants' eating habits aligned with ten different healthy dietary patterns, including the Mediterranean, Nordic, plant-based, and DASH diets. Biological age was measured using three epigenetic clocks that examine chemical changes, or methylation, at approximately 850,000 sites on the DNA.

The findings indicated that higher adherence to any of the ten studied dietary patterns was linked to slower biological aging. While the differences between specific diets were small, researchers noted that these measurable effects are significant for preventing age-related conditions such as dementia and cardiovascular diseases.